Frozen Heart
by kongosoha
Summary: AU. Inuyasha and Kagome grew up together in a small village. After Inuyasha disappears during a blizzard, Kagome decides to leave on a journey to find him. Her resolve will be tested at each turn of the way. Based on The Snow Queen fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen.
1. Fateful Meeting

**A/N:** If I do this writing thing right, you don't have to read "The Snow Queen" to understand this story! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, and I certainly don't own Andersen's fairytale.

Cover image made by the wonderful **Grapefruit Wannabe** ; check out her art at **grapefruitwannabe. tumblr. com**

* * *

 **Fateful Meeting**

 _They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other as much as if they had been._

* * *

"The demons lunged at the powerful priestess," Old Kaede said, widening her eyes and mimicking claws with her wrinkled fingers. "To overcome them, she had no choice but to seal her own soul with the demons' in the form of a jewel!"

A little boy and a little girl kneeled by the old woman's feet under the Goshinboku. Kagome, a sweet yet agitated six-year-old, had her tiny hands clasped over her mouth as if suppressing a scream. Inuyasha, a quiet seven-year-old who wasn't quite human, rolled his eyes at his friend's exaggerated reaction.

"Who would even do this?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Someone who wanted to save the world from the forces of evil, Inuyasha," Kaede explained patiently. "A true hero."

"But she's as good as dead!" The boy frowned, his puppy ears drooping.

"Well, not exactly," the woman continued. "She was forever trapped inside the jewel, fighting the demons. The Shikon no Tama, which is how they called it, was so powerful that it had a mind of its own, and it started attracting all kinds of trouble. Humans and demons alike wanted to possess it."

"What for?" Kagome asked, her brown eyes not even blinking.

"Because the jewel had powers, that's why!" Inuyasha replied. "Aren't you listening, Kagome?"

Before the girl could retort, they heard Lady Higurashi calling her from the door of their hut. Sota, Kagome's baby brother, was nestled in her arms, his chubby hands waving wildly at the sound of his mother's voice.

"I think I better go..." Kagome sighed. "Will you tell us the rest tomorrow, Old Kaede?"

"I certainly will!" She agreed. "There's not much else to tell anyway, child. Go to your mother."

Kagome got up and patted her cotton kimono. "You should go too, Inuyasha," the girl wisely suggested. "Your mama must be waiting!"

The boy smiled at her, showing his tiny fangs, and waved goodbye as Kagome turned around. He got up and bowed respectfully to Kaede, thanking her for the story—even though he much preferred the tale of the Snow Queen who could turn into a giant dog.

"You would prefer it, wouldn't you?" The old woman muttered with a small smile.

Inuyasha didn't reply nor smile, but his golden eyes were dancing with mirth. Kaede observed his retreating red form until he reached the tree line, her heart clenching in her chest with each step the child took.

Inuyasha and Lady Izayoi lived isolated in a hut on the other side of the small forest. It was the closest the village chief would allow them to live, and both mother and son had to walk from there to get food and interact with Higurashi's family—the only people who truly accepted them. A widow herself, Lady Higurashi hadn't had the heart to cast the former princess aside like everybody else did. They became close friends and allies, which irrevocably led to an isolation of the Higurashi themselves.

The worst part of this little tale was that Lady Izayoi was getting weaker with each passing day. In spite of her many efforts as a healer, Kaede couldn't find a cure for the woman's aching lungs. It felt as if Izayoi's illness didn't come from the flesh, but from the heart; and that was something Old Kaede couldn't understand.

 _What will happen to the half-demon when his mother is no longer there?_ She wondered.

Observing a maple leaf make its way from a tree to the ground, Kaede felt the chill of the first winter wind. Sighing to herself, the old woman made her way back to her tiny hut, which stood right beside Higurashi's.

 _I will not allow a child to starve, even if he's the son of a demon._

 _I could never forgive myself._

* * *

 _Nine years later_

* * *

Kagome was completely aware that she was being followed as she made her way back through the forest, but that didn't worry her one single bit.

"You can come out now, Inuyasha." The girl rolled her eyes impatiently. Looking up to scrutinize the treetops, she bellowed, "The same trick doesn't work twice, you know?"

She suddenly stumbled on something red and fell, stopping when her nose was almost touching the ground.

"It's not the same trick, wench." Inuyasha chuckled while pulling her up.

She huffed and turned to face him. "You have a nerve to pester me when I'm just coming back from your mother's grave, you know. You should be more grateful."

"Keh." Inuyasha huffed back, but he visibly sombered after that remark. Lady Izayoi was a touchy subject. "Let's go back, shall we? You're so slow that the sun's already setting."

She thought about retorting, but any possible snide comment died in her throat when the boy turned around and presented her with his back.

 _Well, as long as I don't have to walk home, there's no harm in a little insult._

Pulling her kimono above her knees, Kagome climbed on her friend's back and put her arms around his shoulders.

Soon enough, they were flying.

* * *

"As it happens to most things people can't see nor touch, the Shikon no Tama became no more than a legend. Mankind forgot the truth in the story, and so they stopped pursuing it," Kaede told the little children kneeling at her feet—and the slightly older children sitting above her, invisible to everyone else. "Demonkind didn't forget, though. It is said that the jewel got broken into a million pieces during a nasty fight, and its pieces fell all around the land. Some of them are still floating in the air, and we must be careful not to let them touch us!"

"Why not?" A small girl with huge gray eyes asked.

"They say the shards retain the jewel's power. They make everything good and beautiful seem insignificant, and everything worthless and bad seems worse," the woman explained.

After a few more questions, the children went down the road to their homes and Kaede made her way back to her own hut, hearing Inuyasha and Kagome jumping from limb to limb in the canopies as they followed.

"Why don't you tell them the Snow Queen story?" Asked Kagome when they landed beside the old woman.

"Because it scares them too much, child."

"And all that crap about an evil jewel that turns everything dark doesn't?" Inuyasha asked, one eyebrow lifting.

"Not as much as a giant white dog that brings snow, it doesn't," Kaede retorted. "I can always tell _you_ the story again, if you want to."

"I'm a man already," Inuyasha grumbled.

Kaede and Kagome exchanged a knowing look and smiled.

"Let us sleep then, young man," Kaede said. "Tomorrow you have to chop as much wood as possible. Winter comes, and we don't have nearly enough!"

"Fine, old crone."

Kaede pushed the hanging mat aside and entered the hut, leaving the pair alone.

"Wanna go chasing rabbit demons tomorrow?" Inuyasha asked Kagome. "You can collect berries or something while I hunt."

"I guess I can, after I help mama with the laundry," the girl contemplated. "It'll be nice to eat rabbit meat during winter."

"I'll catch as many as I can get my hands on. It's not like we can count on anyone's help," Inuyasha muttered. Kagome heard the frustration in his voice; even if she hadn't, his ears were drawn back in silent rage.

Sighing, she lightly brushed the back of his hand with her fingertips. The boy didn't look at her, but she saw his ears were pointing back up. Kagome offered him her silent comfort, knowing that soon he would let it go. There was nothing they could do about it.

Truth be told, they kept mostly to themselves ever since she could remember. Her mother's decision to befriend an outcast princess had made sure of that. Kagome was actually very grateful for the woman's good sense and heart, otherwise she wouldn't have Inuyasha. White hair and golden eyes were imprinted in every important memory she had, so close to her heart that she didn't know if it was even hers anymore.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Kagome mumbled, briefly squeezing his hand before letting go.

Inuyasha looked at her intently, eyes shining in the darkness, and eventually smiled.

 _We'll be fine_ , was Kagome's last thought that night before she fell asleep.

* * *

Dry leaves flew everywhere, leaving the trees naked and the land desolate-looking. The morning chill didn't bother Inuyasha, though. He could feel the wind picking up like everyone else did, but its coldness didn't reach his bones; in fact, the more wood he chopped, more hot he felt.

The boy momentarily stopped to take off his fire-rat robe, figuring the white cotton shirt underneath would be enough to protect his rough skin.

Suddenly, every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Inuyasha stopped again and planted the axe on the thick tree trunk he'd been working on.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the other side of the clearing.

A man was silently standing there.

 _Why didn't I hear him?_

The stranger was pale, his black hair was long and wavy, and his eyes were a deep crimson color. Inuyasha could tell by the sheen layer of sweat on his brow that he was in pain, even though the boy could barely hear his ragged breaths.

 _Is he a demon?_

"I don't want it anymore," the man said hollowly. A human wouldn't have been able to hear him from that distance.

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked.

Before the newcomer could answer, the boy smelled them.

A swarm of demons was approaching very fast, and from what Inuyasha could sense, he'd never seen so many of them gathered.

He sprinted toward the stranger.

Reaching for the man, the boy put one of his arms around his shoulders, forcing him to keep up with his pace. Inuyasha could feel his burning fever through both their clothes.

"You must take it off me," the man said urgently, sounding bitter. "It's useless. It outlived its purpose."

Inuyasha thoroughly ignored him in favor of running. He needed to get back to his axe if they were to stand a chance against so many demons.

He'd never had to fight so many.

The stranger suddenly stumbled on his own feet, apparently running out of strength.

"God damn it!" Inuyasha swore, kneeling down and not-so-gently putting the man on his back.

"Stupid boy, listen to me!" He grunted, grasping Inuyasha's shoulders. "If you don't take it off, they'll keep coming. They just keep coming, it never stops…"

"What are you rambling on about? We don't have time for this!"

Before he could answer, they were surrounded.

The first thing that got to Inuyasha was the noise: the hissing, screaming and _cheering_ of the demons. Then, he saw the dark cloud of creatures hovering above their heads, and he knew for certain that there was no escaping this.

It didn't mean he wouldn't try, though. Adrenaline made him stand up and start running in spite of the extra weight.

They didn't get far.

Inuyasha heard his cargo groan right before feeling an excruciating pain.

Looking down, the boy saw a long horn coming out of his own chest, wetting his white shirt with blood—his and the man's. Inuyasha turned his head and saw the chuckling boar demon who stood behind them.

"I'm sorry," the stranger rasped, but he sounded angry instead of contrite.

The horn was pulled back, and the pain in his chest was unlike anything he'd ever felt.

Inuyasha fell to the ground with a dead body on top of him. Through the curtain of black and white hair, he could see his axe not too far ahead.

The boy closed his eyes in agony.

He couldn't know that a shard of the legendary Shikon no Tama had just been attached to his heart.

* * *

 **A/N:** If you've read "The Snow Queen", you must've realized that I put the Shikon no Tama as the mirror from the original story. Kay's behavior changed after the shard was planted in his heart, and so will Inuyasha's.

Kaede is not a priestess in this AU, just an elderly village woman whom everyone respects (which is why they're sort of tolerating Inuyasha). She's like the grandma from the tale. Inuyasha is gentler and not as skilled in fighting because he didn't have to fend for himself, though he was still an outcast. It's also more natural for him and Kagome to be around each other, having grown up together and all—like Gerda and Kay.

I wanted Naraku to come in like a wrecking ball: he set the story in motion without meaning to, while dying, without even saying his name. What a guy, huh?

In the original story, the shards just happen to attach themselves to Kay while he was reading a book. It wouldn't have worked here lol.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading it! :)

Ps: I will always open the chapters with a quote from the fairytale.


	2. Freezing Over

**A/N:** Enter the Snow Queen!

* * *

 **Freezing Over**

 _Oh! That kiss was colder than ice, it went right through his heart, which was already fast becoming a lump of ice._

* * *

 _"It's no fun playing tag with you," Kagome complained, small lips trembling as she tried hard not to cry. "You always win!"_

The memory came back to him so suddenly that Inuyasha decided it was a signal.

All he had to do was play tag.

He'd never played it with anyone but her, but the boy knew he was good. Kagome never lied.

Inuyasha would not be eaten by demons after having given a piggyback ride to a half-dead person.

He absolutely would not die in that clearing.

* * *

He made his way back to the village in a trance. The boy was more aware of his surroundings than ever, but he felt strangely detached from reality. Inuyasha walked slowly, almost leisurely, as if he didn't have a care in the world—because honestly, what could possibly harm him now?

After that morning's incident, he was certain of something he'd always suspected.

He was close to invincible.

The half-demon had known his body could heal fast, but he hadn't been sure of just how fast. Inuyasha had never been pushed quite like this to survive.

For his astonishment, the hole in his chest had begun to close almost immediately after he'd hit the ground. The demons had started attacking the body on Inuyasha's back, seemingly looking for something, splashing blood everywhere.

The blood of a half-breed like him.

Something had woken inside Inuyasha, clawing at his chest to be set free.

In the end, he hadn't had to kill all the demons. Some flew away of their own accord after seeing the boy playing havoc down there, destroying their companions like they were no more than insects.

 _They really weren't._

* * *

When Kagome saw him making his way to their huts covered in blood, she screamed.

"Dear God!" Lady Higurashi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

Without glancing twice at his clothes, Kagome ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. Inuyasha smelled her familiar scent and felt the warmth of her body against his chest, but he was still strangely cold.

He didn't feel the urge to put his arms around his best friend, and _that_ should've been his first clue that something wasn't quite right.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "A few demons thought I'd be easy prey, but they had another thing coming."

"Y-you should go to the river and w-wash yourself," the girl stuttered, drying her sweaty hands on her green kimono. Its upper lining was stained by blood. "I'll check you for wounds!"

Her voice was hurting his ears. He'd never realized it sounded so high-pitched.

"There are no wounds," he declared, checking himself not to sound too proud. "But I feel like cleaning anyway."

"What's wrong with you?" She asked quietly, taking a piece of _something_ off of his forelock. Her big brown eyes were scrutinizing his face, and Inuyasha felt like a spotlight was put on him when she did that.

It was irritating him to no end.

"I feel fine." He shrugged. "A stranger came stumbling in before the demons arrived, but he was already done for. Gotta go back there and get his body later."

Not even looking at Lady Higurashi, who'd been silently watching the exchange, Inuyasha turned in the direction of the river.

For once in her life, Kagome didn't try to follow.

 _Thank God for small blessings, huh?_

* * *

"Maybe we should go to a neighboring village and fetch a priestess," Lady Higurashi suggested quietly.

The small party of misfits was standing in front of the unmarked grave. Kagome had put a bouquet of wild flowers there to appease her conscience, not knowing what else she could possibly do.

Some people had seen Inuyasha when he came back from the clearing with the body, and he said he'd told them to stay as far from that place as possible.

Kagome could only imagine what the passers-by must have thought, seeing the half-demon carrying a man covered in blood.

She looked at him and felt her skin crawl when she spotted his eyes. It was like Inuyasha didn't care that this man had died, didn't care that he'd seen it happen, and certainly didn't care that he was a half-demon too. The girl was very much aware that they lived in a violent time and place, but this behavior wasn't like her friend at all.

"No self-respecting priestess will pray for him," he said, glaring at the earth. "He was a half-demon."

 _"Mama, why can't a priestess come pray for my bird?" Inuyasha asked, golden eyes blinking fast to avoid the tears._

Kagome let the memory of the little boy wash over her. How caring and righteous her friend was, always worrying about everyone and everything. _He's just shocked, I'm sure, but he'll never admit it._

"We've nothing left to do here. Let's go," Inuyasha urged, tugging at Kagome's sleeve.

 _"D'you think my bird will come back as something else, Kagome?"_

Looking back at the stranger's grave and taking in the canopy of trees above it, the girl prayed in her heart for him to find peace wherever he went after death.

She looked at Sota from the corner of her eye and draped an arm around his shoulders. Her brother's face was a little ashen, but he managed a small smile anyway (for her benefit, she was sure of it).

They lived a sheltered life, a privileged one in a sense. Sota wasn't used to seeing corpses all the time.

 _Neither is Inuyasha._

Once they got out of the forest, Inuyasha mumbled something about still needing wood and went away. Deciding she should respect his space, Kagome spent the rest of the day helping Old Kaede find herbs for stocking. Even though the village people respected the woman, it was best they had their own provisions for the fast approaching winter. People liked to keep their distance from Inuyasha, and Kagome doubted they'd walk to the outskirts of the forest in case he was the one in need of medicine.

 _Not that he usually needs it._

He remained in her thoughts for the rest of the day.

She didn't see him coming back that night.

* * *

During the next two days, Inuyasha kept mostly to himself. He went on errands for hours and came back home smelling of snow and the wild. Kaede was very worried, but there was only so much an old human woman could do to keep track of a young half-demon. Every time Kagome tried talking to him when he was around, Inuyasha dismissed her with crude words or spiteful comments.

"Go sew with your mother or something," he sneered when she confronted him on the path to Izayoi's grave.

Kagome braced herself under the heavy mantle, feeling more cold from the look he gave her than from the weather.

"Until you tell me what the hell is wrong, I won't," she defied him, trying very hard to hold back her traitorous tears.

He'd never treated her like this before.

"I can smell your tears, you know," Inuyasha remarked, briefly resembling the friend she knew. "Just don't."

"I'm not crying." Kagome huffed. "I know you hate it when I do."

She threw the bait and waited for his reaction.

"You look ugly when you do, too."

It felt like he'd just slapped her. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha turned on his heels and left.

 _He didn't even give me a chance to step closer_ , she thought dejectedly. _And I saw faint scratches on the side of both his cheeks..._

Unfolding her arms, Kagome brought out the bouquet of camellias she intended to leave his mother. The girl had a very vivid memory of Lady Izayoi, recalling even the smell of her long dark hair.

 _"Camellias mean humility and discretion, Kagome," Izayoi said cheerily, smelling the flowers they'd just collected. "They also mean 'perfect love'."_

As the wind picked up and a few red petals flew away, the girl couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Her gut told her it wasn't Inuyasha this time.

She left the bouquet on the path, knowing he'd have to come back eventually, then ran.

* * *

On the next morning, Kagome opened the hanging to see that the white snow had covered everything. It was easy to pinpoint Inuyasha's red robe moving in the distance while he checked the tree line. Grabbing her mantle, she debated whether or not to go after him.

 _It's too early for a confrontation. I'm barely awake._

Sitting on a wooden stool outside her hut, the girl listened to the sound of her family waking up inside and observed the roaming half-demon.

When he looked at her suddenly, she thought his eyes were glowing red, but it happened so fast that she couldn't be sure.

His strange behavior made her think of Kaede's tale of the Seven-Men Army. According to the story, one of the bandits, Suikotsu, had two different personalities. The girl was not a doctor, but she figured it was perfectly possible for something like that to happen.

Not liking the direction of her thoughts, Kagome decided to enter again and help her mother straighten up their small room. Sota would be impatient very soon for not being able to stay outside, and she predicted a long day of telling stories ahead of her.

She felt Inuyasha's eyes burning holes in her head as soon as she turned her back to the snowy landscape.

* * *

Kagome woke up that night with Inuyasha shaking her shoulder lightly.

A very human Inuyasha.

Quickly standing and grabbing three mantles to keep them warm, she followed him outside without a second thought. They needed to talk, and while she knew it was dangerous to stay outside in total darkness without counting on his demon senses, they couldn't do it inside and risk waking up her family.

As soon as the girl let the hanging mat fall behind her, Inuyasha held her in a loose embrace. Surprised, but wanting to reacquaint herself with his nearness, she quickly hugged his middle and sighed into his chest.

"I feel funny," he whispered, lips brushing against her forehead.

Frowning, Kagome retreated and tried to make eye contact in the darkness. The only light they had came from the stars, and although there were many, it wasn't easy to stare at someone beneath a moonless sky.

"Funny how?"

He seemed to consider what to answer.

"Just… wrong."

"Is it because of the man who died during the demon attack?" Kagome asked cautiously.

"Keh," he mumbled. "I don't know."

They stood quiet for a few seconds.

"Someone was watching me a day ago."

Kagome didn't know why she said it; the words had been out before she knew it.

"Where?" He asked quietly.

"Just past the tree line, on the path to your mother's grave. I felt it after our… talk."

He didn't even cringe at the reminder of his rudeness, which seemed oddly out of character for him. The bells inside Kagome's head were ringing.

"I'll check it tomorrow, and the clearing too."

Suddenly, she knew. Her entire body tensed at the certainty, the overwhelming, horrible certainty that he wouldn't come back if he left her side.

"I'll go with you," the girl blurted. "It'll be good to leave the hut."

"Not a chance," he said in an eyebat. "If there's something lurking out there, I can't have you distracting me. You'll just be in the way."

She knew he was right, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt to hear it—especially when he'd been acting so strange.

"You're such a brat," she whispered without conviction.

Kagome decided to let it drop for the moment, but she secretly vowed they would return to this discussion on the next day. Hugging Inuyasha again, she felt his muscles tensing for no reason, but he relaxed when she playfully tugged at his forelocks.

They bid each other goodnight after that.

* * *

Inuyasha woke up with a start just before dawn.

Looking around from his sitting place against the wall, he saw that the hut was still dark. Aside from Old Kaede's snoring and the sound of the wind outside, there wasn't any noise.

Then why was his heart pounding?

And why did he sleep sitting up?

Still in a sort of daze, he got up and lifted the hanging to see if something was amiss outside. There was a light blizzard, but the sky was already clearing. He could feel his body changing back to its natural state, and it made him uneasy for some unfathomable reason.

As his black hair turned white and his nails elongated, Inuyasha started to feel a strange urge to go outside; though ice was literally raining from the sky. It was such an overpowering call that it made him want to sink his claws in the wooden doorframe.

Deciding that no stupid blizzard could make him sick, he stepped outside and walked through the heavy snow in the direction of the tree line.

Feeling suddenly uneasy, he stopped.

Something eerie was in the air, something that made him want to bolt back home and go ahead at the same time.

Before he could shake it off and scoff at himself, Inuyasha spotted her.

There was a woman standing not too far away.

With his sharp vision, he could see her through the blizzard. Golden eyes looked at him with something akin to amusement, but maybe a little too cold to be called that. Her long white hair ricocheted around her in two ponytails, and she had a purple crescent moon on her forehead.

"Walking barefoot, young man?" She asked, seemingly confident he could hear her. "My, you could catch a cold."

* * *

 **A/N:** The real Naraku would never die so easily, but he'd been fighting off demons for a long time with a single shard. Inuyasha's chest wouldn't normally heal so fast, but I'm using the jewel's regeneration properties to my advantage. Remember Mistress Centipede? Lol.

A fragment of the cursed mirror makes you see the bad in everything, and a corrupted jewel shard makes Inuyasha's demon blood take over (like it did in canon when he attached one to his sword). I thought it'd be interesting to mix the Shikon no Tama's properties with the mirror's, so he's turning more into a pessimistic demon the longer the shard stays in his heart.

I should also say I don't have a beta reader, and English is not my first language. Sorry for any mistakes!

Ah, yes: Inuyasha's human nights aren't such a big deal in this AU, since he didn't grow up in the wild.

That's all for now, guys! Review and tell me what you think *winks*, or send me an ask on kongosoha dot tumblr dot com.

Ps: Kay really says Gerda is ugly when she cries.


	3. Departures

**A/N:** I named the chapters and changed the summary to better fit the plot! :)

* * *

 **Departures**

 _Is it true that you have taken my little playmate from me? I will give you my red shoes, if you give him back to me._

* * *

The chilly wind roared around the boy and the woman as they measured each other. If they had been standing nearer, his white hair could've tangled with hers.

Inuyasha felt his mind tingling from sheer curiosity. This was the closest he'd come to feeling _any_ thing in the last few days.

"Who are you?" He asked petulantly.

She lifted a perfect eyebrow and gave him a small smile, but her eyes were still completely cold.

"They call me many things." The demoness shrugged, the very image of self-assurance. "But you may call me Setsumi."

 _Snow beauty._

"Okay." He sighed. "Why did you want to meet me?"

Setsumi seemed mildly satisfied that he had recognized her call for what it was, like a strict trainer proud of their puppy.

"I want you to come with me to my homeland," she said simply.

Inuyasha frowned and studied her face. He could be obtuse at times, but he wasn't an idiot; the boy knew this woman was a dog demon, and he could see her coloring was the same as his. If this meeting had taken place five days ago, he would've thrown a tantrum and demanded she explained herself.

But this wasn't a few days ago, neither was he the same person.

Inuyasha slowly stepped closer and scrutinized her face. Her long ponytails of white hair turned in his direction with the wind, their ends brushing his shoulders. The woman reached his chin, but something about her seemed to rise far above him. The very air she breathed was charged with power—and authority.

"Keh. I don't even know you."

"Yes, boy, you do." She huffed. "Humans have been talking about me for centuries."

Before Inuyasha could not-so-politely remind her that he wasn't human, she lifted a white, dainty hand to her hair. Taking off a shell-shaped hairpin, she held it out in her palm and froze it.

His gears were turning.

She could do that little trick. She was a dog demon. She'd said people knew her.

 _"Look, children," Kaede called as she lifted the hanging mat. "The snowflakes look like swarms of white bees."_

 _"No, Kaede! It's so cold!" Kagome protested, scooting closer to Inuyasha under the furry mantle they were sharing._

 _"Do they have a queen bee too?" Inuyasha asked with interest. He didn't mind the wind like his human playmate._

 _"Yes, son," the old woman confirmed, letting the pelt drop and sitting next to the children on the futon. "She's a huge white dog, you see. White like snow! The snowflakes come from her fur, which falls as she flies over the land!"_

 _"That's silly, Old Kaede!" Kagome giggled, but Inuyasha could smell her fear._

 _"Don't be scared, Kagome. Only let her come in here!" Inuyasha said with confidence. "I'll protect you!"_

He blinked slowly at the woman before smirking.

"Are you telling me you're the S _now Queen_?"

Setsumi gave a quiet laugh, golden eyes twinkling with true amusement as she replaced the hairpin.

"My touch _does_ freeze," she conceded. "Some demons read minds, others spit venom. I'm no different in this aspect. If human imagination decided I am responsible for winter itself, I'm not the one at fault."

After studying her carefully, Inuyasha realized he had nothing to lose. Nothing could stop him, almost nothing could hurt him, and if he died, at least no one depended on him.

"Why d'you want me to come?" He inquired, narrowing his eyes.

"I knew your father," she returned with barely suppressed impatience, which showed she wasn't used to being questioned. "You belong in the homeland."

 _Belong, huh?_

"Fine."

Setsumi gave him a small—and deadly—smile. His chest was hurting again, but he payed it no mind.

He was almost invincible, after all.

"Well, I feel like I just passed a test," she remarked with fake cheerfulness. "You might be tested also."

The blizzard grew stronger at her words, as if the weather were mocking him for his stupidity. Inuyasha might have considered it an omen if he'd actually felt scared, or anxious, or anything at all but curious.

"No one likes to be frozen," Setsumi said, quickly glancing at his chest. "We'll travel fast. Keep close to my fur."

The Snow Queen stepped back, still facing the half-demon, and began to change. Snowflakes swirled around her in a personal whirlwind, and her hair ricocheted even higher. Her face elongated, and a huge snout appeared where her jugular had been. White fur grew from her skin and rich purple kimono.

Other than the magenta markings under its eyes and the purple crescent moon, nothing of the woman could be seen in the beast standing before him.

Glowing red eyes blinked, and Inuyasha frowned.

He'd told Kagome that he felt funny the night before, but now he was sure something was really wrong with him. His heart didn't even beat faster at the sight of the humongous canine.

Setsumi brought her head down with grace and waited for him to climb on. He felt something stretching the skin on the sides of his cheeks—he'd felt it before.

Inuyasha looked behind him at the two small huts. The early morning light was out now, and soon his foster family would be awake.

He might never see Kagome again.

His inner beast whined at that, clawing at his unrelenting heart, but Inuyasha ignored it. He knew how much they all had given up to be with him; maybe his departure was for the best. The boy understood his former playmate was of age to be married, and what would happen then?

 _She deserves a shot at happiness. I deserve a shot at… something._

 _Anything._

 _This._

Giving the Goshinboku's limbs one last, long look, the half-demon climbed through Setsumi's paw to the scruff of her neck. His hands were trembling when he fisted the white fur.

His figurative dog howled, calling him a traitor in its own language.

His frozen human heart kicked it silent.

* * *

Kagome was already awake when Kaede lifted the hanging mat of her hut a little to the side, just enough to look in.

Muttering something under her breath, the old woman walked away, the sound of her footsteps muffled by the heavy snow.

 _I think the blizzard is over_ , Kagome mused. She'd woken more than once during the night because of it.

Deciding that it was best she got up and saw what her neighbor wanted, the girl lazily stretched her body before sitting up and combing her hair with her fingers. She decided to wear two cloaks over her green kimono and white undershirt, knowing the cold would be biting outside.

When Kagome looked at the hut to the left, Kaede was sitting on a stool at the door—scowling.

"Good morning, Old Kaede," she greeted walking over. "Is something the matter?"

"Hello, child." Kaede sounded tired. "I thought Inuyasha could be with you. He left in the first light of morning."

Dread pooled in Kagome's belly.

She remembered their talk from the previous night, remembered her heart giving her a clear warning.

The girl knew Kaede wasn't prone to controlling the half-demon, but the last five days had made her weary of his roamings. It was no wonder; he seemed to come back stranger every time he went away.

"I'll find him," Kagome promptly said, trying hard to mask her uneasiness.

It was then that she heard startled voices approaching.

Turning her head, she saw a group of half a dozen villagers making their way to the door. Surprised they had visitors (and feeling it couldn't be good), Kagome put her hand on Kaede's shoulder instinctively.

"Good morning," the old woman greeted, holding the girl's hand to stand up. "What brings you lot here?"

"Didn't you see it, Old Kaede? The beast flying over the village?" The chief inquired as he stepped closer, small eyes dark with fear.

In her fifteen years, Kagome had never seen the sturdy man like this.

"Beast?" She echoed.

"It was huge and white," another said. "Sky's also white, so it was hard to see—but it came really close!"

"When?" Kagome asked, the bad feeling in her gut spreading all over her body, making her shake like a leaf.

"An hour ago, at most," a bald merchant said. "We thought the half-breed might've smelled it, so we came here to ask him what it was."

"He's not here," Kagome snapped, feeling a violent urge to grab the man's head and bury it in the snow.

Huffing, the girl stepped away and decided to look for her friend.

Those morons had delayed her enough as it was.

* * *

Huge paw marks made her vision swim with fear.

Kagome stumbled in the heavy snow and grabbed a tree, barely keeping her balance. Her sweaty hands were cold on its rough bark.

She needed to track them, needed to find him, needed him to be okay.

The wretched men from the village were following her from a distance, no doubt trying to get to Inuyasha. She heard them gasp at every paw mark they'd passed on the way.

The last one was by the frozen river.

It was impossible for a beast like the one they'd described to walk over the ice without breaking it, which meant it had flown away.

It also meant she couldn't follow it anymore.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, her voice sounding hoarse.

 _He has excellent hearing. He'll be here in a moment._

Her heart protested at her trying to deceive herself. If anything, Kagome had always been honest.

After two hours of searching the woods and the clearing, she couldn't ignore the truth anymore. Inuyasha wasn't there, hadn't been there since the wee hours, and she had been _sleeping_.

"Inuyasha!" She still called, more to keep reaching out to him than receiving an answer.

Kagome saw the brief look of pity crossing the chief's face, and it only made her scream louder.

"INUYASHA!"

Someone touched her shoulder and she reacted violently, pushing their soothing hands away.

"Don't!"

"Kagome," Lady Higurashi said pleadingly, brown eyes shining with unshed tears.

 _When did mother get here?_

"Come home with me. You've been out in the cold for too long, you didn't eat before you left…"

"Mama!" The girl lifted her hands to interrupt the woman, "Inuyasha disappeared. He vanished. I can't think of eating anything right now."

"Give it some time, girl," the chief said. "He seems to be a strong one. He'll come back soon enough."

The man was blatantly lying to her, and it made Kagome want to spit his pity on his face.

 _You never gave a damn about him, about us_.

 _Spare me._

Her little brother was standing in the clearing, his hands nervously wringing the hem of his shirt.

It was like a bucket of cold water.

Inuyasha had been gone for less than a day and she was already panicking, acting like a lunatic. Sota looked at her with fear in his eyes, making her feel guilty. The girl was worrying him for nothing—she wasn't even sure if something had really happened to their half-demon friend.

 _Liar_ , her heart seemed to whisper.

* * *

On the third night of Inuyasha's disappearance, Kagome entered Kaede's hut to find the woman crying.

Like in a mirror, her face was instantly wet, too.

Old Kaede was sitting on her small stool and holding one of Inuyasha's white undershirts. Seeing Kagome standing there, she quickly dried her tears with her wrinkled hand.

"I'm sorry, child." Kaede took a deep breath, "this shirt needed mending, and I j-just…"

Kagome shushed her gently, approaching the old woman and kneeling next to her. Unable to stop her own tears from coming, the girl decided to offer her silent presence as consolation instead of words.

Kaede dropped the shirt on the floor to hug her, and Kagome cried harder. The woman was the epitome of both strength and kindness, and seeing her like that was scary.

"He will come back, Kaede," she said with conviction.

"I know, dear." Kaede sniffled, letting go of Kagome's shoulders. "The house just feels empty. He's lived with me longer than with his own mother."

 _I never thought about it that way_ , she mused. _Kaede has been more of a mother to Inuyasha than Lady Izayoi had a chance to be._

"I'll keep searching tomorrow," Kagome promised. "We've already covered three neighboring villages. He can't have vanished."

Neither spoke about the flying dog, still hoping it had nothing to do with their beloved boy.

* * *

After two weeks of searching the proximities with her mother, Sota, and four village men that the chief had spared, Kagome was more than convinced Inuyasha wasn't in the vicinity. They had traveled to every neighboring village, even the tiniest ones, expecting to find him wounded and unable to come home.

Needless to say, people didn't react well when being interrogated about a half-demon.

 _He's not wounded_ , a little voice kept saying inside her head. _He heals fast._

 _Then why isn't he home?_

Kagome refused to consider the next possible explanation for his absence. If she were rational, she would. If she weren't a hopeless optimistic, if she didn't plan on scolding him when she saw him again.

If she didn't love him so very much.

With winter still punishing the land with its unbearable coldness, the searching party couldn't go very far without ending up dead.

Kagome was losing her mind each day she went without hearing Inuyasha's voice.

The village people started saying she was becoming insane, but they also said Inuyasha was dead; so the girl didn't listen.

* * *

What long, dark winter days those were.

The chief had called the searching party to a halt, saying they had already looked everywhere nearby. Kagome knew he wouldn't go searching far when the weather got better; they didn't believe Inuyasha to be alive anymore.

On the first day of spring, she woke up early to walk to the woods and put fresh flowers on both Izayoi's and the stranger's graves. Humming a song, she put on her white undershirt and favorite green kimono.

Each time a dark thought like _Inuyasha is dead and gone_ crossed her mind, Kagome looked up at the sun, felt its warmth, and didn't believe it. Her best friend couldn't be gone, not yet.

They had too much to live.

As if sensing her thoughts and agreeing with them, the wind picked up and shook the Goshinboku's limbs, taking away the last vestiges of snow with it.

Winter was over, and so was her time of mourning someone who was still alive.

She left jasmines for the half-demon and the usual camellias for Izayoi. Taking a moment to kneel by the woman's resting place, Kagome asked for protection during the journey she was about to undertake.

The girl had shared her plans with Sota, and he'd promised to keep them secret—after she'd told him numerous times that no, there was no way she would take him with her. Kagome didn't even know where she was going.

 _At least I know where not to go._

She went home after doing her duty to the dead, arranged food and an extra cloak in a yellow leather satchel, and put her red scarf around her shoulders (one that Inuyasha had never seen).

Then, the girl kissed her sleeping mother's forehead—and left.

Looking back on it, Kagome would be able to tell how naive she had been, and how many things could have gone wrong.

She would never regret it.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I hope you're enjoying this half as much as I've been thinking about it lol.

Setsumi mentioned Inuyasha's father just in passing on purpose; this will be addressed later. I know it didn't take much for her to convince him to leave, but Inuyasha's already reckless in his normal state, let alone when unable to feel fear!

Oh, and his heart is freezing metaforically here! He's becoming unfeeling and uncaring as his demon blood emerges, but there's no ice involved (fairytales and their lessons, you know how it is). The shard does bother him, though.

As always, I'm **very** grateful to anyone reading this. Leave me a review *winks not-so-charmingly*.

Ps: other beloved characters will show up soon enough!


	4. Flowers Drenched in Happiness

**ㅤ** **ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ**

 **Flowers Drenched in Happiness**

 _She slept and dreamed as gloriously as only a queen can do on her wedding-day._

* * *

Kagome had been heading West for two days.

There was a forest a few feet ahead, and it didn't look quite safe for her to enter it alone. The river was much wider by that point than it had been on the outskirts of her village—she couldn't possibly cross it by swimming.

 _Now what?_

Dropping her yellow satchel to the ground, Kagome sat down with a huff to rest her hurting feet.

Afraid that someone from home might have been following her, she'd made a point of traveling at a fast pace until sunset the day before. The nights in the beginning of spring were still cold, so she had had to build a small fire, but Kagome wanted to draw as less attention to herself as possible.

She'd picked a path that the searching party hadn't, walking by the river in the opposite direction of the main road. Knowing she wouldn't find Inuyasha in any of the neighboring villages, she'd chosen to keep following the riverbank—inadvertently into the wild, it seemed.

Looking up at the sky, the girl saw it was already blood red.

 _Sunset._

"I need to cross to the other side," she mused out loud. She could see the small houses over there from that distance, which meant _shelter_.

Unbelievably tired, Kagome hugged her knees to her chest and dropped her head, taking a moment to close her eyes and think.

A gurgling sound came from the water, making her snap her head back up.

 _Oh, God, something's there._

A pair of enormous eyes in a bald head emerged, and every hair on the girl's body stood up. It swam toward her so fast, its pointy hat making tiny swirls in the water, that she didn't have time to scoot away from the bank.

"Hello, princess."

A catfish demon smiled up at her, too close for her taste—even though he definitely wasn't frightening. His pupils were incredibly small for such big eyes, and his barbels, which resembled whiskers, gave him a humanoid appearance.

"Um…" Kagome hesitated.

"I am Nushi, my darling," he purred, not needing any more invitation to speak. "I'm the guardian spirit of this river. I heard you wish to cross it, correct? What is your name?"

 _Guardian spirit? He seems to be just a demon._

Deciding it was best not to risk offending him, Kagome mentally shrugged. She was hardly an expert in demons to tell the difference, she supposed.

The girl cleared her throat. "I'm Kagome, master Nushi. Would you be so kind as to help me cross?"

He chuckled, black pupils shining under the setting sun.

"I certainly would, my dear, but I'm not one to do favors. What would you give me in return?"

His tone sent a shiver down her spine.

Deciding not to ponder on it, Kagome mentally went over the few things she was carrying. She couldn't give him her food—what if she didn't find any on the long run? She couldn't give him her extra cloak—what if it got too cold? She couldn't give him her shoes, and she needed her satchel to keep the supplies.

Sighing dejectedly, Kagome disentangled her red scarf from her neck and extended it toward him. Nushi took it with one of his viscous fins, bringing it to his nostrils and taking a deep sniff.

Kagome did her best to mask her revulsion.

"I guess it will do," Nushi mused with an exaggerated sigh. "At least it's covered in your scent—very enticing, if I might say so."

 _Of course you might not, you pig!_

If the demon hadn't sounded so utterly pathetic, she might've been scared. As it was, Kagome just wanted to cross the river faster.

Seemingly sensing her thoughts, Nushi eyed her and smirked before plunging. In his place, a small wooden boat emerged. It was covered in sludge, and Kagome was momentarily afraid it wasn't safe, but she swallowed her unease and entered it.

Slowly but surely, the boat took her to the other side of the river.

Once out of the craft, she didn't look back to see what had been pushing it. Judging by the shadow she'd seen underneath the water, it was something big.

* * *

Kagome entered the deserted village and made to knock on the closest hut, but a gasp stopped her mid-motion.

An elderly woman stood on the pathway with a startled expression on her face. She was wearing a simple cotton kimono, and there were red flowers nestled in the crook of her left arm.

"Poor little thing!" The woman said as she walked toward her. "How ever did you cross the great rushing stream?"

Kagome blinked a few times and opened her mouth to speak, but the woman grasped her shoulder lightly and pulled her forward.

"Come and tell me who you are, and where you come from," she urged, turning her face to the other side and sneezing.

"I-I'm Kagome," the girl started, a little overwhelmed by her approach. "I come from a small village two days from here. Do you know a place where I can spend the night?"

"Absolutely! I'm Grandma Shippo, by the way," the woman said cheerily. "Sorry—it's just that Nushi is a moron, and I wanted to know if you're all right."

"I met your… guardian," Kagome laughed a little, not knowing how else to call the demon catfish.

The woman rolled her eyes and sneezed again.

"He's a low-life demon, that's what he is," she hissed.

 _Do people here live in peace with him?_ , Kagome mused. Although Nushi was disgusting, she suspected he was also harmless, and the girl couldn't help but admire this village for letting him be.

"Grandma, I was wondering… Have you seen a half-demon with white hair and puppy ears passing by?" Kagome asked hopefully. "I mean, you seem to be less prejudiced on this side of the river, so—"

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but I haven't seen anyone like that," Grandma Shippo interjected, smiling sadly at her.

Kagome thanked her and returned the small smile. She hadn't expected it to be easy.

"But why are you looking for a half-demon?" The lady asked curiously.

Seeing no problem in telling the woman her story, Kagome talked about Inuyasha, their somewhat isolated life, and his disappearance in the beginning of winter.

"I see," Grandma Shippo murmured. "You must really like this friend of yours—I mean, not many people would do what you're doing."

As they kept walking, Kagome looked down at her own hands and let the woman's words sink in. She didn't see herself as particularly special; she simply wanted him back, and from the few people who cared, the girl was the most suited to do this.

"Well, sorry you didn't find him here—but you gotta sleep _some_ where", Grandma Shippo said with a wink, obviously trying to cheer her up. "I work at the castle of the village nobleman, lord Kaou. He'll welcome you, I'm sure."

 _These flowers smell so good_ , the girl thought suddenly. Eyeing them, she felt her smile spread. _It soothes my soul._

* * *

The castle was easily the most beautiful construction Kagome had ever set eyes upon. It had a single level surrounded by a wooden porch—and it was _big_. Red flowers grew everywhere around it, and the girl was surprised she hadn't spotted the outside walls from across the river.

Grandma Shippo brought her immediately to the lord's presence. The women kneeled and bowed, and Kagome stayed silent while the elderly lady asked Kaou to let her stay the night.

"You can sit back, child," the man said in a soft tone.

Lord Kaou was sitting on a mat in the middle of the room, richly dressed in a white silken kimono. He had a pointy hat like Nushi's over his wavy black hair, and his features were the most delicate Kagome had ever seen on a man's face.

"Poor thing, you must be so tired," he guessed with a smile—but it didn't reach his eyes. "This village prides itself on being a safe place, my girl. You can _rest_ here. Lay down your burdens."

Kagome tried to smile back at him, but something was bothering her. Grandma Shippo sneezed again, and the girl realized the smell of roses was getting unbearably stronger.

"You're suffering a great deal for your lost friend, aren't you?" Lord Kaou asked, eyes glinting as he waved his fan. "I feel so much pain inside you— _winter_ old pain."

 _How does he-_

Kagome felt something touching her feet. Looking behind her, she saw two green vines tangling themselves around her ankles. They pulled, making her fall forward on her chest and knocking the air out of her lungs.

"Spring has come, Kagome," Kaou said gleefully.

She screamed and struggled viciously, but the lord—and the vines—seemed unfazed by it. If anything, Grandma Shippo was the one looking guiltily at the girl.

Her vision swam, and everything went black.

* * *

"Hey, sleepyhead."

Kagome slowly opened her eyes to find herself looking into golden, sparkling ones.

"I-Inuyasha?" She blinked, lifting a hand to touch his tanned face.

The boy had been smiling when she woke up, but now he seemed a little taken aback by her behavior.

"Why you staring at me like I'm the last rice ball in the plate?"

Dropping her hand, Kagome looked around in confusion. She was sitting on the Goshinboku's roots, reclined against its bark. The landscape was green and filled with flowers, the sky was blue, and she could hear Sota's laugh in the distance.

Two plain—and dearly loved—huts stood not too far away.

 _Am I home?_

"Kagome?" Inuyasha called, bringing his face closer to hers and sniffing. He put his calloused hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. "Are you feeling well, wench?"

Overcome with emotion, she hugged him close and sniffled. Inuyasha froze, probably smelling her tears, but she didn't care to stop.

Kagome took her time to run her fingers through his silver hair, enjoying its texture against her hands. She breathed in his smell—earthy, wild and all things good—and felt like her heart would burst.

"I-I missed you so much, Inuyasha. It was such a long winter…"

"W-What are you t-talking about?" The boy stammered. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Releasing him, Kagome shook her head and wiped her tears away. She couldn't recall why she'd felt so vulnerable a moment ago, but her heart was hammering in her chest, telling her _something_ had happened.

"I-I remember a snowy day," she said suddenly. "I remember screaming and screaming your name until my throat hurt!"

The girl started trembling, and Inuyasha hugged her in spite of his burning cheeks.

 _Is he blushing?_

Kagome didn't know why she was paying attention to something so trivial in the middle of a breakdown, but it couldn't be helped: she started giggling.

"Keh," he scoffed near her ear, but it had come out too soft. "You really are crazy, y'know."

She felt his nose ghosting over her cheek in a featherlight touch and went limp against his chest. Although Inuyasha didn't touch her all the time, he was never shy about it when he did—he really had no reason to be.

When Kagome felt his butterfly kisses on the side of her face, her eyes snapped open in surprise.

 _That_ was something he'd never done.

"I-Inuyasha?"

"Shhh," he whispered, and she felt his smile against her warming skin. "It's only me."

Her blood was singing in her veins. Impulsively, she buried her face in his neck, letting go of all the hurt and heartache she'd been feeling before.

"I have something to tell you," he murmured, still not releasing her. Kagome felt the vibration of his voice coming from his throat to her nose—and it made her smile. "I know what the village people say about us, even if you don't tell me. I know they think you're a 'demon's whore' just 'cause you walk around with me."

The girl started lifting her head to tell him exactly what the village people could do with their opinions, kindness be damned, but his hand on the nape of her neck stopped her.

"I don't want them talking shit about you like they did mother, Kagome, so I thought... Well, I thought I should marry you."

She jumped out of his touch to make eye contact.

Inuyasha was looking everywhere but her face, red tinging even the skin on the insides of his ears.

In an eyebat, Kagome surprised herself by blurting, "yes."

The look he gave her was both doubtful and earnest. It was the look of a boy and a man at once; of someone who'd taken some hard blows to their self-confidence in life.

Sota laughed—the same sound being carried by the breeze over and over.

She frowned.

Her brother was laughing, but Kagome couldn't see him anywhere. There wasn't any sign of her mother and Old Kaede, who should have been doing their chores at this time of the day. There was no noise coming from the forest behind them—not a bird, not a squirrel, not a _damn_ rabbit demon.

Inuyasha would never toss their friendship to the wind and ask her to marry him like this, out of the blue.

She would never simply say 'yes' without giving it any thought. Kagome loved him too much to do that.

Her vision was blurring again. Using Inuyasha's shoulders for leverage, she slowly started standing. Stopping mid-move, Kagome brushed his bangs away and kissed his forehead, lips wet by her tears and his sweat.

"H-Hey, w-where are you going?" He stuttered.

Standing the rest of the way up, she smiled down at him tenderly.

"After you, stupid."

Then, Kagome bolted.

 _I'll do what I do when I want to wake up_ , the girl thought as she ran.

Inuyasha wasn't coming after her, which also attested to the fact that none of this was real.

 _If this were real, he would never let me go after something like that._

Reclining against the side of the Bone-Eater's Well to catch her breath, she looked at the darkness below. Kagome had always been afraid of it, knowing that they used to toss the remains of demons down there to rot.

She climbed on the sturdy wood, sweaty hands grabbing the sides of her green kimono. Closing her eyes, mind, and heart, she jumped.

* * *

Kagome was momentarily blinded by morning light.

Lifting her chin from her chest, she felt the muscles in her neck protest. The girl squirmed, realizing she had been immobilized by the vines—stuck to a wooden pillar on the porch.

 _Did these things drag me from inside?_

"Hey, you're awake," someone whispered from the ground.

Looking down, Kagome saw a small redheaded boy sitting by her feet. She blinked owlishly at his fox paws and tail.

Her green cocoon shook when he lunged on it, coming face to face with the speechless girl.

"Good," he murmured, green eyes regarding her with barely contained admiration. "I knew you'd wake up—and just in time, too!"

"Are you a demon?" Her voice cracked.

"I'm a fox demon," he promptly informed. "Name's Shippo. I brought you here."

 _Kaede told stories about them! They can—wait a minute..._

Seeing her gears were turning, the kit resumed, "Look, Kagome—I'm sorry, but we have to hurry. The flowers feed from your happiness, so they'll start withering, and _he_ 'll know it!"

"Where's Kaou?" Kagome asked bitingly, unable to control herself. She felt tears were coming down her cheeks, and the girl tried not to panic when she saw they were red.

"He's busy," Shippo said darkly. "Locked up in his room—that's why you're just in time—and don't worry, you won't die from that little bleeding!"

With Shippo's help, Kagome got rid of the already dying vines. Once she was free, she took the kit by the scruff of his neck and brought him nose to nose with her.

"You're coming with me, mister, because I can't leave a child behind with an insane plant charmer—no matter how wicked the child," she rebuked. "You'll help me get out of this hell hole, _then_ you'll explain yourself!

Shippo's eyes were as big as saucers, and Kagome couldn't help but think he was adorable. She let him down gently, keeping her serious expression in place.

He regarded her guiltily and took a deep breath.

The girl almost jumped out of her skin when he turned into a pink balloon.

"Hop on!" He called urgently.

Kagome's hands were shaking, but she grasped her satchel strap and quickly complied.

They were halfway to the outside wall when she heard a hissing sound coming from the castle. Turning her head back, the girl was met by the most frightening sight she'd ever seen.

Kaou's body was coming through the sliding doors, and it was completely made of vines. If she hadn't met the man before, she wouldn't have known it was the same creature. Only his clothes and his face remained—which she saw was actually a wooden mask.

"SHIPPO," he barked angrily, and his voice made each vine tremble.

Kagome's panic was growing proportionally to his stretching.

"Go faster, Shippo, faster!"

The boy started swallowing air, lifting himself higher. Kaou tossed a few vines at them, making Shippo's balloon form sway dangerously. Kagome was hanging on for dear life.

"Why are you leaving, girl?" Kaou questioned. "I merely showed you the dreams you wished to see!"

 _The dreams I wished to see?_

"You—were—happy," the lord insisted, stretching himself closer with each word. Kagome could smell his sweet scent _right there_ , and it made her empty stomach turn in knots. "Your flowers were growing so beautifully!"

For a short moment that surprised even herself, Kagome's anger surpassed her fear.

"Does it amuse you to look inside the heart of other people?" She cried. "My happiness isn't yours to consume!"

Shippo sneezed a few times in a row, and the balloon shook disturbingly.

Luckily for the duo, Kaou's body stopped elongating when they were just past the wall. Hissing irately, the flower demon kept contorting himself, gradually shrinking back down.

"Don't worry, he can't leave the garden!" The kit yelled from beneath her. "That's why he needed me to get you!"

Shippo made a sharp turn left and went into the woods, dodging tree limbs and barks. When he deemed they were far enough from the castle, the kit made a violent landing, obviously having ran out of strength. They both fell to the ground, and Shippo returned to his natural form with a puff of air.

Kagome sat down against a rock and put her hand to her chest, breathing hard. Feeling the dried blood trails on her cheeks, she quickly wiped them with her sleeve.

"Why did you work for Kaou?" She managed between pants, looking at the child's profile.

"I asked for shelter during a storm, so I had to repay him by bringing him a victim," Shippo explained. "You were it, but I didn't know I'd feel so guilty!"

The girl took a moment to study the fox demon, noticing how his bushy tail swayed nervously under her perusal. Was he considered old enough by demon standards to roam about alone—with that blue bow on his ponytail?

"Where are your parents?" Kagome muttered.

"Dead," he returned in a heartbeat.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered pitifully, deciding not to ask about it yet.

"S'okay", Shippo mumbled. "At least they didn't leave me or something."

The pregnant pause brought her mind to Inuyasha, and the dream she'd had while under Kaou's influence.

 _I always knew I loved Inuyasha, but am I in love with him?_ She mused.

The girl sighed wistfully. _If I am, that was the wrong way to find out._

"Forgive me, Kagome," Shippo pleaded, putting his small hand on her bent knee. "Don't be sad—you don't know if he left you!"

Kagome smiled at his mistaken attempt to cheer her up, deciding she'd have all the time in the world to analyse her feelings once Inuyasha was home.

 _I'm still here to find my best friend. This changes nothing._

"Kaou told me once that his victims take months to wake up, when they do," Shippo commented. "I wonder if they were looking for someone, too."

Kagome was pondering on it when he nudged her and resumed, "But you did it in only two weeks! How can you be so strong?"

It was the wrong thing to say.

* * *

 **A/N:** Phew, this one was longer! Sorry, guys, but I couldn't find a good place to cut it.

I altered the nature of Kaou's flowers to better match the Flower Sorceress' ones from the fairytale. She was a gentle _kidnapper_ who just wanted a child, which obviously isn't the case here lol. Also, Gerda spent months in her house, but that would be a bad move in this story.

I don't mean to beg, guys, but I could use some reviews for this one! It's getting harder to mix a Danish fairytale from 1844 with a manga/anime set in Feudal Japan, so pretty please? Lol.

As always, **thank you so much** for reading! I've pratically memorized the words you've left for me! :)


	5. Mothers

**A/N:** In honor of **Inukag Week** AU Day. (Check out Tumblr, guys, today will be amazing.)

* * *

 **Mothers**

 _Listen to the wailing chant of the women, listen to the cry of the priests._

* * *

Lady Higurashi kneeled by Izayoi's grave and offered her the usual red camellias, but the gesture was an apology this time.

"I failed you," the woman whispered tiredly, passing a trembling hand over her knot of wavy hair.

She closed her eyes, smelling the sweet spring perfume, and tried to gather her thoughts. The forest was alive with the sounds of birds and small animals, and Lady Higurashi thought it cruel to be surrounded by happiness when she felt so empty inside.

"I remember when I first saw you, my friend," she started. "You were walking down this very path, holding little Inuyasha's hand. I looked at your son, and—and I was speechless. In an eyebat, my curious Kagome ran to him and grabbed the poor boy's ears! I had to say something then, and the first thing I ever told you was 'I'm sorry'."

 _He tried so hard not to growl at her_ , she recalled. _He always tried so hard not to frighten people, even as a six-year-old._

If Lady Higurashi thought she'd ran out of tears, she was sadly mistaken.

"I looked at you and saw a little of myself, you know? Did I ever tell you that?" She paused, rubbing her temples. "Kagome was five, Sota was on the way, and I was alone. You came over to see him when he was born, and I remember you thanked me for being kind—for letting Kagome play with Inuyasha. They'd been inseparable ever since the ear incident… I could never deny him like _they_ did, I would never... "

Lady Higurashi was crying copiously. She remembered those months with a bittersweet fondness. The former princess had come to their hut every single day to check on Sota, and Kagome and Inuyasha would sit by their feet as they fawned over the baby. Inuyasha kept flattening his ears because of all the wailing, but he never complained.

 _Izayoi was already sick by that time. She died not long after my husband._

 _When it comes down to it, I didn't befriend her out of pity. She helped me get through a difficult moment—she was the merciful one, really, but… I'd like to think I made her last days happier, too._

"Have I ever told you how lucky I felt to have you by my side? How smart and kind you were? Have I praised your son enough?" She sighed. "I lost him. Something happened to him, a beast might've taken him away from right under my nose... I lost your beautiful boy, Izayoi, even though I promised I would help Kaede take care of him. I lost him, I lost Kagome, I failed you, I failed my husband, I failed as a mother—oh, _God_ , I'm so sorry!"

The woman was hysterical by that point, shaking from grief and regret.

 _He's been lost ever since the beginning of winter_ , she thought desperately. _Inuyasha spent three new moons away from home._

Suddenly, a wrinkled, trembling hand was on Lady Higurashi's shoulder. She looked up and saw Kaede's crumbling face through her blurred vision.

"That's enough, Higurashi," Old Kaede's voice cracked. "If anyone's a failure here, I am. You have two children to take care of. Inuyasha's my responsibility, not yours."

"But I promised to help, Kaede! I gave Izayoi my word, and now her little boy might be dead!" She protested weakly.

Old Kaede shushed her gently, helping Lady Higurashi up with both her hands. Once they were facing each other, the elder woman wiped the younger's tears and cradled her face in her hands.

"He's not a little boy anymore," Old Kaede remarked calmly. "We must have faith in him. We must have faith in _her_."

She waited for the distressed mother to nod before resuming. "If the chief's men didn't find Kagome, 'tis most likely because she didn't wanna be found. As stupid as it may seem, can we truly blame her? Everyone thinks she's insane. No one believes in her, which is why _we must_."

Lady Higurashi nodded again, took a very deep breath, and smiled. It was a broken smile, but there was strength behind it.

"When Kagome turned fifteen, I started worrying about her future," Higurashi confessed, holding Kaede's hands in hers. "Even though I love Inuyasha, I was worried they would fall for each other. They're both old enough to marry, they're always, _always_ together, and I didn't want her to tie herself to a half-demon in a world such as this. I think people's shunning him is absurd, and yet I was perpetuating this way of thinking—because it involved my daughter. What a _coward_ I am..."

"Now, Higurashi, every mother would—"

"I won't." She regarded Kaede solemnly. "I won't betray Izayoi's memory by filling Kagome's head with doubts. If they come back to me alive, I will never voice my worries, Kaede. This… This is my last promise to Izayoi, and I intend to keep it."

Old Kaede was moved beyond words. For a mother to disregard her concerns like this, to allow her child to be happy if they so choose—that certainly took a lot of guts.

 _God, hear this brave woman's promise_ , Kaede pleaded. _Return them safely to us._

* * *

Kagome and Shippo had been walking aimlessly for a week.

After he'd told her how much time she'd lost sleeping, the girl had panicked. She'd done everything in her power to travel at a faster pace, but the truth was that those fourteen days under Kaou's influence had taken a heavy toll on her body. Kagome felt weak and malnourished, but she refused to stop for too long—not only because she was anxious to find Inuyasha, but because it wasn't safe.

People still didn't like it very much when she asked them about a half-demon, especially when they saw Shippo perched on her shoulder.

"D'you think your mom will go searching for you, Kagome?" The kit asked suddenly.

Kagome's step faltered.

"She can't." The girl sighed. "I have a ten-year-old brother who doesn't work yet, and she has to take care of him. People don't like us very much… She can't leave him all alone."

Shippo nodded pensively.

"I'm an only child, so my mom would chase me down," he said with a sad little smile. "Even if I had siblings, they'd be tough demons, too. I think she'd come either way."

"I bet she would," Kagome said, patting his head lightly. She hesitated, observing him from the corner of her eye. "And... what about your dad?"

She already knew Shippo's mother had died when he was very young, but he didn't talk much about his father. Kagome figured that was a good moment to bring it up.

"I loved papa, but he was a fool," Shippo whispered. "He lost his life because he found a stupid shard of the Shikon no Tama. I told him it was trouble, but he kept it!"

Kagome flinched at the barely concealed anger in the kit's voice.

"Shikon no Tama?" She echoed. "Isn't that just a myth, though?"

 _Are you still in denial over the gigantic dog?_ A small voice whispered on the back of her mind.

The girl ignored it.

"For humans, maybe." Shippo shrugged. "It's best you stay away from it. Demons have been fighting over the shards for hundreds of years, ever since the jewel broke. Mom used to tell me this story when I was a little kit… Wanna hear it?"

"Sure!" Kagome said eagerly. "Old Kaede used to tell me this story, too, but I bet yours will be different."

"I guess you know the beginning, right? About priestess Midoriko, and how she had to seal her soul with the demons'?"

Kagome nodded, keeping her eyes on the road.

"D'you know how it got broken?"

"No." She shook her head. "We only know it was during a nasty fight."

"It was," Shippo said darkly. "There was this bird demon, Princess Abi, who had gotten ahold of the jewel. Demons from _every_ where started attacking her to steal it!" He paused for effect, much like Kaede did. Kagome had to suppress the urge to giggle.

"During one of those battles," Shippo resumed, "she and her birds retreated, flying higher than they'd ever flown. No one could see them anymore… just the pink glow of the jewel coming from above the clouds."

Kagome could picture it perfectly: a beautiful, deadly demon princess, holding the Shikon no Tama in her extended hand as she went up. The girl imagined the wind blowing on her hair, and her insane laughter when she looked down and saw the bloody battlefield beneath her.

"Some demons who could also fly started going after Abi," Shippo continued, "but something blasted her from the sky before they got there. She screamed when a light hit her, and the jewel was broken into a million pieces—some of them no bigger than a grain of sand, mama told me."

"Who attacked her?" Kagome frowned.

"They say the gods did it." Shippo shrugged. "They say Abi payed for her insolence, for thinking herself so superior."

 _How far up did she even fly?_ Kagome mused.

"Anyway..." The kit sighed. "The shards of the jewel are evil. They make you stronger, but they also turn you into a cold-hearted bastard—which is why most demons want it, really... If you feel nothing, you fear nothing."

"Did your father tell you that?" Kagome murmured, shocked by the obvious power lust behind those words.

"Yeah." Shippo nodded. "He was right, but fear is useful. It keeps you alive, you see? One day, two bloodthirsty demon brothers came after his shard, and… and he felt no fear. That's what got him killed in the end."

Kagome didn't know what to say, so she just mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Shippo sniffled. "I'm already wiser than he was, Kagome. I don't wanna go anywhere near a shard ever again, and I wouldn't keep one if I found it."

After a pregnant pause, she heard the kit murmuring, "Papa didn't even care about me anymore."

"Shippo…" She paused. "He might not have shown it, but I'm sure he still loved you deep down. It was the jewel shard that—"

"He was… cold, Kagome," Shippo interjected. "I don't know if there was anything 'deep down' anymore. Papa never stayed around for too long, and he sounded weird when he did."

The girl felt uneasy after hearing Shippo's words. His description of his father's behavior sounded too much like Inuyasha's for her peace of mind.

 _Would Inuyasha tell me if he'd gotten a jewel shard?_ Kagome asked herself. _Could he have found it in the clearing that day? The day things began to change…_

She refused to believe Inuyasha would keep something like this from her.

"Say, Shippo," the girl started cautiously. "D'you think it's possible to have a jewel shard in your body without knowing it?"

The kit frowned. "I guess someone could get close enough to put it on you, but why would they do it? Besides, I don't know a single demon who'd just give away their jewel shard."

Kagome furrowed her brow. "You must be right..."

"Why?"

"No reason…" Kagome shrugged.

"I think we should stop for the night," the kit suggested. "It's getting dark."

Kagome took a deep breath and looked around her at the deserted road. "We're in the middle of _no_ where, but you're right… Walking in the dark will be worse. Let's set up camp."

* * *

 _"Can you find me, imp?" Inuyasha's singsong voice came from somewhere on her right. Kagome could practically hear his smile._

 _"Not if you're a cheat and change places, I can't!" The little girl complained, brow furrowed in concentration as she scrutinized the woods. "And I'm not an imp, you brat!"_

 _"C'mon, Kagome," he chided, and this time his voice came from her left. "You can do better. It's just hide-and-seek!"_

 _"But you're faster," she argued. "We decided you can't move, remember?"_

 _"Keh," Kagome heard Inuyasha getting closer, though he was nowhere in sight. "Fine, I won't move. Find me now!"_

 _She thought she'd seen a bush shaking slightly. The girl lunged at it, but he wasn't there._

 _"Find me now!"_

 _His voice was coming from… farther away? Was Inuyasha moving again? She couldn't win the game unless she saw him!_

 _"Find me now!"_

 _Kagome could barely hear him anymore, and it filled her with incomprehensible dread._

 _"Find me now!"_

 _Deafening silence._

She awoke with a start just before dawn. Shippo, who was sleeping curled close to her neck, grunted in response to the slight movement. Her extra cloak was wrapped around her waist, and she felt the cold get to her bones.

Kagome rubbed her eyes with her hands and waited for her heartbeat to return to normal. The embers of the fire were still burning under the pinking sky, and the girl found herself thinking about Inuyasha's eyes—and her dream.

With a diminutive sigh, she reached for the cloak to cover herself again.

"Are we getting up now?" Shippo mumbled.

"Not right now." Kagome patted his head, "but soon. If we start early, we can cover more ground before sunset."

"Hn," Shippo grunted.

Kagome was almost unconscious when she felt something prick her cheek. She jerked awake again, slapping her own face to get it—whatever it was—off her.

"Hello to you, too, my lady," a pain-filled voice spoke from her reddened palm.

Looking closely, the girl saw it was a flea demon, and a very old one at that. His white whiskers proved he was an elderly male, and Kagome almost felt bad for having slapped him—until she remembered he'd been sucking her blood.

She frowned, sitting up and dislodging Shippo. The kit mumbled incoherently and shifted awake.

"What is it, Kagome?"

"It's a... flea."

Shippo scooted closer sleepily to look at her opened palm. Sure enough, a small demon was standing there, straightening himself up and patting his clothes. He cleared his throat, then said: "Good day, Shippo."

"Myoga." The kit snorted. "What are you doing here? You following me or something?"

"Of course not, you brat!" He looked at Kagome. "Nice to meet you, girl. I'm Myoga. Who would you be?"

"I'm Kagome." She tilted her head and blinked down at him, brown eyes full of curiosity.

The flea blushed. "My, aren't you a cute one—and tasty, too!"

"Cut it out," Shippo barked, reaching out and taking him from Kagome's palm. "I won't let you slobber all over her!"

"Why, don't act like she's your mother!" Myoga snapped. "I'll have you know I'm under Princess Sango's command now, and I'll tell her-"

"Princess Sango?" The kit repeated, ignoring the 'mother' comment completely. "Are we near her village?"

"You're a day from there, to be exact." The flea sniffled, crossing his diminutive arms.

Kagome gulped. "Is that a good thing? Is she human?"

"Good? Depends on her mood, I guess." Shippo crinkled his nose. "And she's human, all right... a stuck-up one, from what I hear, but she knows a bunch of stuff."

"How do you know each other?" Kagome asked, pointing from the kit to the flea. Shippo was still holding Myoga between his thumb and index finger.

"Why, Shippo's a stray," Myoga said maliciously. "Everyone stumbles upon him eventually."

Shippo made a disgusted face and tossed the flea in the bushes. Kagome felt her heart constrict at the not-so-subtle reminder that the fox demon was a wandering child. Before she could think of something to say, though, Myoga came jumping back from the bushes to sit on her shoulder.

"What is an orphan kit doing traveling with a human girl?" The flea asked suspiciously.

Kagome rubbed her temples, mentally preparing herself to tell a brief version of their story.

When she was finished, the embers of the fire had already died and the sky was a light blue hue. The girl kicked her cloak away, feeling suddenly hot, and made to get up.

"Hold on," the flea called. "I think I've seen the half-demon you seek."

She stopped mid-motion, fixing wide, hopeful eyes on Myoga.

He swallowed.

"Liar." Shippo snorted, crossing his arms and looking away. His tail was swinging with interest, though, and Kagome could see he was looking at the tiny demon from the corner of his eye.

"Princess Sango has been receiving suitors, you see," Myoga started. "She said she would only marry a man who could answer when he was spoken to—one who wouldn't merely stand there and look grand. She's excessively smart." Myoga sighed. "Young men came in streams! There was a deal of crowding and rushing, but no one succeeded on the first or second day."

Kagome and Shippo were looking at him expectantly.

"Get on with it!" The kit rushed.

"Well... On the third day, there came a boy with long silver hair…"

"It's Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed joyfully.

Shippo glared at Myoga when the flea cleared his throat, silently threatening him if he said he'd been mistaken.

"The boy said he didn't come to woo her, but to ask for advice. She thought him very nice." The old man paused. "He was dressed in a purple robe."

"Purple?" Kagome frowned. "Don't you mean red? It must have been red!"

 _'Ask for advice'? ' Nice'? It doesn't sound like him at all, but..._

"It may have been," Myoga gulped, sending Shippo a frightened glance.

 _Either way, I have to check it._

"Well!" Kagome smiled, and it seemed to the two demons that the sun was shining brighter. "Let's go, then!"

"I must warn you, though," Myoga lifted his finger, "that a peasant girl like you would never obtain permission to enter the castle. I'll talk it over with my… fiancée—she works at the castle and might help you sneak in."

"How did Inuyasha get in? He doesn't look much better than me!" Kagome snorted.

Myoga sighed. "I don't think anyone could have stopped him."

The girl smiled at that, daring herself to hope.

 _Damn straight._

* * *

Inuyasha's chest hurt a little more every time he turned human.

 _Stupid new moon's in a few days_ , he thought as he moved the Chinese puzzle pieces.

"I sure am glad you enjoy the game," Setsumi commented with veiled amusement.

They were both sitting on a red chaise longue of sorts, but her spot had a golden, rounded back to lean against—like a throne.

Inuyasha regarded the woman indifferently. He was sitting cross-legged a respectable distance away, as he had been doing ever since he'd arrived. They were on the terrace of the floating castle. A majestic staircase ahead of them descended into the sky.

The Snow Queen seemed absorbed in the puzzle on her lap. Even though they never left the castle, she was always dressed richly, wearing the same white-furred cloak over her kimono.

"It's better than doing nothing, that's for sure," he acknowledged, observing her hands with slight interest.

The Chinese puzzle—Tangram—was Setsumi's favorite game. You had seven geometric pieces to shape into whatever you wanted: a small square, two small congruent triangles, two large congruent triangles, a medium-size triangle, and a parallelogram. She had explained to him what each shape was with a condescending smile, as if she'd doubted he would understand.

Inuyasha might have been offended if he actually cared.

Whenever the demoness touched the wooden pieces, they were covered with a sheen layer of ice. He knew she could choose whether to use her freezing touch, which meant she was doing it just for the hell of it.

Setsumi's game never looked the same. She could come up with many figures using only seven pieces: a swan, a scorpion, a woman sewing (or at least he thought she was), a chair...

Time had no meaning there, and the boy felt even more detached from reality when he was playing. It seemed his hands moved of their own accord. Looking at his own game, Inuyasha realized he always made the same three figures: a dog, a spider, and a bird.

The bird reminded him of Kagome.

 _Don't._

Inuyasha knew that whatever was wrong with him, it was in his chest. Four painful human nights since the incident in the clearing had convinced him of that. He could only guess it was a side effect of having been impaled by the boar demon.

 _With a guy on my back, no less._

He could vividly remember the pain, the sickening gurgling resonance…

Still, it didn't explain why the jagged purple markings on his cheeks kept appearing, or why his eyes looked red sometimes. He caught his reflexion now and then while walking around the castle. Setsumi never looked at him differently when these changes occurred; it seemed she didn't even see them.

The boy wondered, not for the first time, how the nobles of that place would've treated him if they were still around.

"Why am I here?" Inuyasha asked in a monotone, as if the answer didn't really matter.

"I have told you this already." Setsumi huffed, not even taking her eyes from the board. "You belong here."

"Because there's no one left?"

She paused, regarding him with mock regret. "Oh, my—I'm sorry—do you feel used?"

"No." he shrugged. "Don't much care."

"I am aware. It's a becoming trait," Setsumi decided. "Let's hope it's not your only one," she singsonged.

The half-demon didn't even blink.

 _Did I guess it right, then?_

Inuyasha already knew Setsumi had been married to his father, and that they'd had a son. He didn't know where his half-brother could be, and the Snow Queen didn't particularly seem to care.

"I saw the tapestries in the hallways," the boy remarked. "I know your people are dead. Plague, disease, war… anyway, the dog demons are gone."

The demoness kept silent, probably sensing Inuyasha wasn't finished. Her golden eyes seemed to freeze his insides.

"I wanna know about the tapestry in my room," he resumed. "The one that shows a white-haired man striking a woman with a sword."

Setsumi lifted an eyebrow.

"She's holding a pink, rounded thing—a jewel? You know the one."

The Snow Queen put the Tangram board aside to fully face him.

"Very well, boy," she sighed exasperatedly. "When we get to the end of the story, you will know more than you do now…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Not much action in this one, but these conversations between characters were needed.

In the fairytale, the evil mirror broke when the goblins tried taking it to heaven, so there lol. The Snow Queen is fond of Tangram, and I think Sesshomaru's mom would be, too. (You know, rationality games and such...)

Anyway, thank you for reading and reviewing, guys. I _can't_ express how **_happy_** you make me when I read your words!

Ps: Miroku and Sango are coming.


	6. Breaking In

**A/N:** Enter Sango and Miroku ;)

* * *

 **Breaking In**

 _She felt as if she were about to do something wrong, and after all she only wanted to know whether little Kay was there._

* * *

Kagome, Shippo, and Myoga arrived at Princess Sango's gates by nightfall. The walls of the castle were high, _intimidating_ , and Kagome couldn't even see the sentinels' silhouettes in the darkness (though she knew they must've been there). The girl shivered; whether from the damp night air or fear, she didn't know.

"You wait here now, behind the trees," Myoga instructed quietly. "I'll call Shoga and see if she can help any."

As the flea jumped away, Kagome and Shippo crouched down, holding each other to share some warmth.

"Don't be scared, Kagome," Shippo said. "I'll protect you."

The girl could barely see her little friend's face, but she smiled in his direction, squeezing him tighter. She couldn't forget Myoga's cruel words that morning, calling Shippo a stray. Life must have dealt him some hard blows, but still he showed her affection without reservations.

He reminded her of Inuyasha—which was a strange, selfish comfort.

"And I'll protect you, too," Kagome reassured the kit.

She thought she could see his fanged grin.

* * *

Kagome didn't know how long they were huddled together in the shadows, but it felt like centuries had passed before Myoga showed up again.

"Shoga sends you her compliments," the flea said quickly. "The guards wouldn't allow you to go inside, but don't cry; you shall get in! She tells me there's a covered pathway that leads to the sleeping apartments, and she can sneak you in."

Much to the old demon's distress, Kagome's eyes seemed moist anyway.

"I just told you not to cry, my lady!" Myoga admonished. "If it is indeed your friend, all will be well soon enough."

"These are happy tears!" Kagome waved his concern away. "I'm just…" she sighed, "I really hope it's him."

Shippo did his best to glare at the elder demon in the darkness.

"M-Me too." Myoga gulped.

The flea jumped on the girl's free shoulder and whispered the directions in her ear. They advanced toward the left wall of the castle through the bushes, being careful to stay quiet. Kagome noticed Shippo would flinch at her steps sometimes, and she nervously supposed she was making too much noise.

"Stop," Myoga warned suddenly. "Now's the hard part. There's a gateway somewhere on that wall, but there must be a sentinel moving on the pathway above."

Kagome narrowed her eyes and tried to see anything at all, but there was little she could distinguish with just the light of the stars to help her.

"I see him fine," Shippo said. "He keeps walking back and forth. We must run for the wall when his back is turned, or else…"

"Exactly," Myoga nodded. "Let's count and see how long it takes for him to turn around. If this goes wrong, I lose my job!" The flea gulped.

"I can't believe this parasite," Shippo hissed. "Who cares about your job, stupid? We all lose our necks!"

"I d-don't think Princess Sango would—"

"If she's anything like what I heard, than you bet she would!"

"Stop it, you two," Kagome demanded harshly. "This is no time to bicker! You're demons, I need your eyes right now!"

"I might be a demon, but I'm still old." Myoga sighed. "Besides, what good are a flea's eyes? We're both counting on Shippo here."

 _My life's in the hands of a kid—literally_ , Kagome thought. _I trust him, though. Even if I had another choice at the moment, which I don't, I think I would trust Shippo anyway. We got out of Kaou's garden thanks to him_ , she remembered.

"Start counting, please, Shippo," she asked of him.

After a short silence, Kagome felt the kit's small hand tighten on her shoulder. "He takes eight seconds to walk the path, Kagome, then turns around again."

"But we don't really have eight seconds," Myoga remarked. "He could see us from his peripheral vision most of the time."

"We have to wait until we're sure he won't see anything, then... " Kagome nodded. "There must be a moment when it wouldn't be possible to see us!"

"I think we could run for it when he's halfway to the end," Shippo mused. "Based on our position, that's my guess."

"So that gives me four seconds." Kagome swallowed. "And I have to be silent."

"That would be preferable, yes." Myoga huffed.

"I think I see the gateway on the wall," Kagome mumbled.

"Make sure you go toward it! Shoga will be there to let us in."

"Don't worry, Kagome. You got this!" Shippo reassured her.

Closing her eyes briefly, Kagome nodded. When Shippo gave her the signal, she sprinted, asking anyone that could be hearing to _please_ don't let her stumble.

When they made it to the wall, the girl clasped her back to it and looked up at the star-filled sky, irrevocably squeezing Shippo behind her. Since she couldn't see the sentinel, Kagome hoped he couldn't see her, either.

"Start moving to the left, Kagome," Myoga instructed quietly. "We're right beside the gateway!"

The girl slid along the wall until she stood with her back to a wooden door. Following the flea's order, she turned the doorknob. They entered hurriedly, closing it with a soft thud.

"Finally!" A small black dot was jumping up and down in front of her face. Kagome turned and looked around at the castle's garden—at what she could see from it under the starlight, that is.

The female flea jumped right on the girl's nose. Kagome crossed her eyes to try and see her face, but there wasn't much she could distinguish. She had the impression that the demoness wasn't much different from Myoga, though; maybe a little bigger.

"My betrothed has spoken highly of you, girl. Your journey is very touching!" Shoga said excitedly. "If we keep quiet, we can search for your friend and get both of you out before morning. Now, keep one hand on the castle wall over there as I give you the directions!"

 _What if Inuyasha isn't here? And if he is, what if he doesn't want to escape with me?_ She shook her head to banish the inopportune thoughts.

"Um, t-thank you," Kagome said, immediately doing as she was told. They had no time to lose.

After a few minutes of stumbling in the dark, she found the short stairs that led into the covered pathway.

"Go there!" Shoga urged.

 _It was easy, all things considered…_

"WHO'S THERE?" Someone shouted from her left. Kagome could hear footsteps approaching.

 _After the victory, tighten your helmet strap_ , she recalled Old Kaede saying. _I should have known something would happen!_

"Run!" Shippo whispered.

She didn't really have another choice. Kagome climbed the steps and crossed the covered pathway into the corridors, one hand always touching the wall as she ran. She could see faint candlelight coming from behind some of the shoji doors, but it wasn't enough to help her find her way around.

"STOP!" Someone shouted again, and something zoomed past her ear.

"That was an arrow, Kagome! Go faster!" Shippo urged.

"I'm a known servant of the princess," Shoga said. "Maybe I can provide a distraction!"

"Woman, they'll just step on you, and you know it!" Myoga told the flea.

Kagome kept running, stumbling a few times along the way. She felt an excruciating pain on her right calf, and she had to clasp both hands on the wall to keep from falling over.

"They shot her!" Shippo panicked, getting down from her shoulder. "I'll use foxfire on them!"

"Stupid kit, you'll burn the castle down!" Myoga squeaked.

"A-Are we far from the sleeping quarters?" Kagome groaned between ragged breaths. She couldn't bring herself to look at the wound.

"THERE!" A guard yelled from across the hallway. "IT'S THE ROBBER GIRL!"

Another arrow found it's way to her left shoulder. Kagome clenched her teeth and started moving again, Shippo hot on her heels.

"Turn right!" Shoga instructed.

She did so with great effort, coming face to face with a large shoji door. Footsteps were coming her way, so Kagome slid it open and entered the room without really thinking about what she was doing.

Letting her eyes adjust to the soft candlelight, Kagome saw a rich futon in which someone was sleeping. White hair came from under the red covers.

Her heart seemed to have stopped beating for a second.

Warm blood was oozing from her wounds, streaming down her back and calf, but she couldn't bring herself to look at the arrows. Her vision was getting a little dizzy.

"This isn't good, isn't good," Shoga mumbled.

Kagome automatically stepped closer to the sleeping person.

"It must be him!" Myoga exclaimed. "How fortunate! What are the chances, really?"

"No, this is—"

"I-INUYASHA!" Kagome sobbed before Shoga could finish, kneeling down beside the futon.

The covers were kicked away and a little girl looked up at her with terrified purple eyes. She screamed—and that was their undoing.

"Shiori!" Shoga completed with a groan.

The door slid open with violence. A group of five guards entered the room, but Kagome couldn't seem to lift her eyes to their faces. She kept staring at their feet, her head heavy from blood loss and disappointment.

"HALT!"

"WAIT!" Shoga screamed.

Kagome collapsed beside the white-haired child.

* * *

Inuyasha had been staring at the tapestry on the hallway for at least half an hour.

The white-haired man striking at the flying girl was, it seemed, his father. The Inu no Taisho, the Dog General, the Ruler of the Skies, the Destroyer of the Shikon no Tama, and many other titles—he was sure of it—that served for nothing.

 _Did your damn titles give you a nice spot in paradise, old man?_

Inuyasha felt the sudden urge to shred the tapestry with his claws, but saw no point in it. Something kept blocking his violent desires. He felt inside himself for the familiar gap where his responses should have been.

That wasn't what worried him anymore—oh, no.

What worried Inuyasha was what would happen once the proverbial dam broke.

Setsumi had been standing in the hallway with him half an hour ago, also looking at the tapestry. The boy went over every word she'd said.

It hadn't been his father's intention to shatter the jewel; he'd simply wanted to protect the location of the floating castle, protect the home of the last white dogs alive, protect his wife and child. He hadn't wanted to get involved in the conflict, but he couldn't have allowed it to reach their doorstep.

"Ours is a race that suffered throughout history with the jealousy and greed of lesser demons," Setsumi had said. "The thing about parasites, boy, is that their strength lies in numbers. You'd do well to remember that."

 _I should've reminded her that all the guards and servants in this godforsaken place are a bunch of low-lifes._

According to the Snow Queen, there had been a time when the white dogs flew free through the land. They were too powerful, too talented, too beautiful to keep existing, so they became targets (in her words).

Inuyasha had heard what she wouldn't say, though: the white dogs became too greedy, too. They must've made many enemies on their way to greatness.

"And how do I fit in this clan of yours?" He'd asked disinterestedly.

The Snow Queen was looking at her husband's embroidered face with an impassive expression.

"There ain't much I know about the old man, but I do know he died protecting me and my mom. You can't like me very much," the boy reasoned sarcastically. "Or my dirty blood."

She looked back at him with a lifted eyebrow.

"You don't have to reaffirm your half-demon status all the time. It's annoying and unappealing," she admonished. "You shouldn't fit in here, true enough… but I won't let your father's legacy, our line, die with me."

Inuyasha smirked remembering her words. It was clear that the woman would do anything to keep her empire alive—as alive as it could be.

 _Even put a half-breed as the master of the house one day._

"Are you dying, then?"

"No." She huffed dismissively.

"So why bring me here now?"

Her golden eyes shone eerily. "You seemed… dissatisfied… with that human village. I saw an opportunity and took it."

As if on cue, he felt a pang in his chest.

 _She knew I'd come with her._

"And what were you even doing there, _Snow Queen?_ "

 _If she has something to do with how weird I've been…_

"Don't flatter yourself; I roam everywhere during winter," she said calmly, ignoring his aggressive tone. "I've been to that forest several times, but I'd never payed you—nor your village—any mind."

He tried to process that.

"I thought I had a brother. He tired of you or something?" He'd asked her with a touch of malice that, now that he thought back on it, didn't suit him at all.

"He's been disappeared for some years," Setsumi informed him breezily. "For all I know, he might as well be dead."

"And what happens if he's not?"

"Then you fight to the death, of course. Oh, I shall be devastated!" She exclaimed theatrically, bringing a hand to her forehead.

"Keh."

She opened one eye and smirked at him.

The demoness had been talkative and a little playful, which was a nice change— _sort of_. At least he'd finally gotten some information out of her.

 _So, tainting the line of the 'great white dogs' with me is better than having no white dogs at all._

That had surprised him. He would've thought a noblewoman like Setsumi would've preferred to let her line die out of some misguided sense of honor, but no… Setsumi was too machiavelic for that, it seemed.

 _Blood won't stop her from getting what she wants._

Inuyasha sighed. His father had been responsible for breaking—and scattering—the cursed Shikon no Tama, his stepmother was stuck in a white elephant of a castle, his half-brother was dead, his mother was dead, and Kagome was miles away. He felt a little cheated; the Snow Queen had told him that he belonged here, but there was nobody left to belong to—aside from her, that is.

 _If she thinks I'll be her lapdog, she's got another thing coming._

* * *

When Kagome came to, there was a beautiful girl looking down at her.

The stranger's hair was unbound, a straight curtain of brown silk—brown like her eyes, which were kind yet cautious. She wore a magenta kimono embroidered with silver leaves, and the tissue's pinkish hue matched her eyeshadow.

"Hello," the noblewoman said. Her voice was deeper than Kagome's, _wiser_. "I'm Princess Sango. You broke into my property."

 _That's not a very good start._

Kagome was still a little disoriented, so she just gaped up at the princess— _like a fish, ugh_ —for a few seconds. She was lying on a rich, soft futon, in a room much like the one she'd entered to escape the guards.

"I-I can explain everything." She winced from both shame and pain.

Sango lifted a dainty hand to interrupt her. "That's not necessary, really. My servants, Myoga and Shoga, have already told me everything about you—and your quest."

Kagome swallowed. "W-Where's Shippo?"

"The fox?" Sango asked with a lifted eyebrow. "He's playing with Shiori... now that he's calmed down."

 _Oh, Shippo…_

"The white-haired child," Kagome remembered Shoga saying her name. "I-I'm sorry if I scared her… I thought she was the friend I'm looking for."

"My guards could've killed you, you know?" Princess Sango said exasperatedly. "You look a lot like the Robber Girl... "

"R-Robber Girl?"

"A thief who's been terrorizing these lands for awhile now. I'll catch her soon enough." She sighed. "My point is: your face is a magnet for trouble, Kagome, and you should be careful where you show it."

Kagome gulped, feeling her eyes start to burn.

 _Like I don't have enough problems already…_

"Listen," Sango started in a soft voice, "I want to help you."

It was a sharp contrast to the way their conversation had went so far.

Kagome licked her dry lips and blinked away the tears. "H-How? I have no clue where he is, nothing useful I can tell you."

"I have my ways of discovering things." The princess shrugged. "A woman who wants to rule has to be prepared. First things first, though: you'll have to stay here for a few days."

Kagome's throat constricted at that. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I don't have a few days. I lost enough time as it is."

"I know you have," Sango said sympathetically. "All the more reason why you should accept my help, really. Do you plan on roaming aimlessly until you stumble upon this Inuyasha person? No! What you need is a strategy, Kagome… and besides, you're in no condition to travel, anyway."

Kagome sighed, nodding briefly.

"You've been passed out for the whole night. They'll bring you breakfast soon," the Princess informed her as she started to stand up. "My healer will come check up on you after you eat."

"Why are you helping me?" Kagome asked quietly.

When this all began, the innocent village girl wouldn't have questioned a person's motives for helping another. After Kaou's castle and Myoga's lie (which she still didn't understand), Kagome had grown suspicious of free assistance.

Sango's eyes softened as if she could read her thoughts.

"I can recognize a strong and good person when I see one, Kagome. You don't deserve to rot in a dungeon or be hanged just because you broke in. I... understand."

Slowly, hesitantly, Kagome smiled up at her.

"Besides," Sango resumed as she walked to the sliding door, "you were so ill prepared, it was a laughable attempt. Did you honestly think you would get far?"

The Princess' mouth quirked as she winked at her before stepping out of the room.

 _Well, we still got in, didn't we?_ Kagome thought with satisfaction.

* * *

The healer was a young brown-haired man called Hojo. He was dressed in a cotton blue kimono, simple yet dignified. Kagome had been a little tense in his presence at first, unaccustomed to male company as she was, but soon his easy smiles had her relaxing.

It was the first time she had been completely alone with a man other than Inuyasha. _Princess Sango must really trust him if she didn't send a maid here…_

"Wounds like yours normally heal in ten days, give or take," Hojo said as he inspected her shoulder. Kagome couldn't see his expression as she was lying on her belly, but his voice was serious. "I don't know how long it will take for you to recover, though. You haven't been eating much, I can tell… your condition won't help, you know."

Kagome sighed. "I spent two weeks under a spell, and one more on the road sharing my food with a small fox demon. I couldn't just—"

"I know." The healer patted her back reassuringly. "I didn't mean to scold you; sorry if it came out like that. I just wanted you to understand your situation—famished and wounded, that is."

The thought that she could be forced to stay here more than ten days made Kagome want to cry. It seemed to her that something tried to stop her at each turn on the way. "Well, at least Princess Sango said I can stay here…"

After her wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, two maids helped Kagome into a yellow silken kimono. Never having wore silk before, the village girl couldn't help but marvel at the soft touch of the tissue against her skin. Her green cotton kimono, plain yet cherished, was taken away to be washed.

 _It would be nice to take a bath_ , she thought longingly. _But I guess that'll have to wait a little…_

At least the women had perfumed her and combed her hair.

As they slid the door to leave, Kagome saw a young dark-haired monk standing outside her room. He wore purple garbs and carried a golden staff with jingling rings.

"Hello, Kagome," he said, his genuine smile lighting up his violet eyes. "I am Miroku. Princess Sango sent me to help you to the main room, seeing as your calf is injured."

"Oh!" Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Master Miroku."

The monk walked toward her and passed an arm around her waist. They started talking as they made their way to where the Princess was.

"Your little fox friend is eager to be reunited with you," Miroku said humorously.

"I hope he didn't make much of a fuss." Kagome sighed even as her heart warmed at the thought of his worrying.

"He tried to burn the guards with his foxfire," the monk told her. "Shoga and Myoga intervened, though—well, Shoga did. Myoga is too much of a coward; he hid in Shiori's hair."

 _Shiori's white hair._

"That girl, Shiori... " Kagome started cautiously, eyeing the beautiful corridor she'd suffered through the night before, "She isn't human, is she? I-I'm sorry if it's rude to ask, but I have a friend who—"

Miroku chuckled, briefly squeezing the hand at her waist to reassure her. "It's fine; I've been told of your noble quest already—the entire castle has, really." Kagome gulped. "And you are right about Shiori; she's a half-demon, just like your friend."

Kagome looked at him with widened eyes. She'd thought the girl was a demon, but it never occurred to her she could be _half_.

"I've never met anyone like Inuyasha before!" She said excitedly. "I don't think he has, either! Oh, he'll be _so_ happy when I tell him… He won't say he is, but I know it!"

"You sound very fond of your friend" Miroku remarked knowingly.

Kagome felt herself blushing. "W-Well, o-of course!" She stuttered. "I wouldn't h-have traveled so far if I wasn't, don't you think?"

Miroku just laughed at her defensiveness.

When she got to the ample main room, the first thing she noticed were the three people sitting on mats on the polished wooden floor: Princess Sango, Shippo, and Shiori. Then, Kagome let her eyes wander to the tapestry-filled walls, it's colors shining under the afternoon sun that came in through the opened shoji doors.

"KAGOME!" Shippo called, getting up immediately and running to her. In spite of his eagerness, the child was careful when he hugged her legs.

Sango smiled and patted the spot beside her, indicating where Kagome should sit. As Miroku helped her, she saw two familiar fleas standing on Sango's bent knee.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Shoga asked.

 _She does look like Myoga_ , Kagome mused. _Minus the whiskers, and with longer hair..._

"I feel fine, thank you."

"I'm glad to hear it," Sango said warmly. "Shall we get to it, then? I believe Myoga has some explaining to do."

"I-I'd like to apologize to Shiori first," Kagome said, looking from the Princess to the shying girl. "They must've told you that I thought you were someone else. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I-It's alright." Shiori nodded, giving her a small smile. As the child moved her head, her unusual hair caught the light, and Kagome saw that it wasn't really white as she'd thought. It was pearlescent, reflecting hues of pink and lavender.

 _Well, it was an honest mistake_ , she told herself. _It was rather dark, after all._

"Myoga," Sango called, glaring slightly at her servant.

He gulped. "W-Well, you see… I am an old flea," the demon started. "I told you my eyes weren't very good, remember? I said I'd seen a man with white hair arriving at the castle, but what I really saw, apparently, mas Master Miroku carrying Shiori on his back."

Kagome blinked. She could hardly believe it.

"Is he stupid or what?" Shippo huffed, crossing his little arms and glaring at the flea.

"Um… How didn't you see he was carrying a child?" She asked.

"Shiori was hidden under my traveling cloak to shield herself from the cold," Miroku supplied, sitting down a few feet away from her. "Her head rested on my shoulder, so a few strands of her hair were coming out of my hood."

"And it was nighttime when he arrived!" Myoga quickly added. "I was outside in the gardens when Master Miroku came up the stairs. I saw the purple cloak, the white hair, and—"

"But didn't you see his figure?" Kagome insisted with a frown. "Wasn't it a little weird?"

"Why, Shiori is a tiny girl! Besides, he could've been a hunchback—they exist, you know!"

"Myoga…" Shoga warned.

"W-What I mean is, I'm sorry," he backpedaled. "Back when I told you I thought I'd seen your friend, I realized I could've been making a mistake, but you seemed so eager—"

"And I seemed so threatening," Shippo added under his breath.

"—that I thought you should come anyway. It's not like you had anywhere to go, so…"

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temples, recognizing the truth of his words.

"Myoga never described your friend to me when he told me your story," Shoga said. "If he had, I could've told him there was no one like that staying or working in the castle."

"It seems it was all a miscommunication problem," the monk summed up.

"Master Miroku came here looking for my advice on what to do with the girl," Sango explained, gesturing to Shiori with her head. "He rescued her from a violent mob in her former village. She has nowhere to go, and a monk can't raise a child."

Forgetting her own problems for a moment, Kagome looked at the half-demoness with sympathy. "And what will become of her?"

"She'll stay here, of course," Sango said with authority. Then, softly, "...and the monk, too, for as long as he wishes."

 _She isn't a nasty princess at all_ , Kagome decided. _Maybe a little bossy and scary, but with a very generous heart._

"My life is a traveling one," Miroku interjected, "but as I told Princess Sango, I will stay until Shiori is more comfortable here—and until your case progresses, Kagome."

She looked at him in wonder.

"I am most interested in your story," the monk elaborated. "I'd like to help in any way I can."

"Modesty aside, I'm a clever woman," Sango affirmed. "I _will_ put you on Inuyasha's track."

"There's no better person to help you," Miroku reinforced, regarding Sango with amused—and soft—eyes. "I can guarantee that."

The Princess blushed, but she still held her head high.

 _What about her suitors?_ Kagome thought, looking from Sango to the monk with a small smile playing on her lips. _Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough…_

In spite of her hurry to find Inuyasha, the girl had the feeling she would enjoy making new friends.

God knew she needed all the help she could get.

* * *

 **A/N:** Miroku won't grope anyone in this fic. He's not cursed, so he's not desperate to produce an heir, and he isn't trying to keep Sango away, either. I saw no reason for his wandering hand, really.

I didn't forget about Kirara and Kohaku. They'll be there on the next chapter! :)

I've been feeling a little discouraged at how hard this is getting, but I don't intend to stop writing it. I have most of the story planned, too, so...

Anyways, THANK YOU for reading, guys! Leave me a review *winks*


	7. Puzzle Pieces

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ

 **Puzzle Pieces**

 _At the end of the first three miles the crow also bade her farewell, and this was the saddest parting of all; he flew into a tree, and flapped his black wings as long as he could see the carriage, which shone like bright sunshine._

* * *

It didn't take long for Princess Sango to find a clue about Inuyasha's situation—eight days, give or take.

Kagome was watching as Shippo and Shiori played in the garden when Miroku showed up on the porch, saying the princess needed to speak to her.

"Is it about Inuyasha?" She asked anxiously as the monk helped her stand. Sango never summoned her while she was working, so Kagome knew it had to be something important.

"I believe so," Miroku confirmed. "Prince Kohaku has returned from his huntings, and apparently he's seen something… interesting."

Kagome's stomach turned at the monk's words. If the prince were surprised by something he'd seen, and if it involved Inuyasha… She was scared.

"I take it she has a few questions for you," Miroku said, squeezing her hand a little. "There's no need to make such a face, Kagome. I'm sure all will be well."

She swallowed hard.

Sango was kneeling on a mat in the middle of her huge room, surrounded by parchments and maps. A boy who looked no more than thirteen was beside her, wearing the strangest black armor Kagome had ever seen. He was pointing at something in a map as he caressed a small two-tailed cat on his lap.

As soon as the door closed, they lifted their heads to look at Kagome. The prince immediately stood to greet her.

"Are you Kagome?" He asked as she bowed.

"Y-Yes," she stuttered. "You must be Prince Kohaku. It's an honor to meet you."

The boy blushed profusely, showing his true age for a moment. If he hadn't been royalty, Kagome would've giggled.

Sango did.

Kohaku shot the princess a glare before returning his attention to Kagome. "After my sister sent word about your quest, I recalled seeing a man like the one you're looking for—but I don't know if you'll believe me."

Kagome suspected she knew what he was talking about. Her hands were sweating, and she tried in vain to dry them on the yellow silk of her kimono. The distraught girl could feel the princess's eyes upon her.

"Did your friend go away with a huge white dog?"

The world came to a stop at Kohaku's quiet words. The demon cat looked at her with its red eyes, and Kagome could've sworn she saw pity in them.

 _No, no, no, no._

Kagome had been in denial. She'd been fooling herself, making believe that Inuyasha had not left with the beast, that the two events hadn't been necessarily connected. She hadn't seen the proof that they had, after all; and if she'd stopped to think about what she'd be up against… It would have made her quest that much more difficult.

Kagome took a deep breath to steady herself. Before she could think of something to say, though, the princess motioned for her to sit down.

"I need you to be honest with me, Kagome," Sango said with a slight frown. "I can't help you if you keep things from me—no matter how crazy you think they might be."

"We're used to crazy," Kohaku added, taking back his place beside his sister. "You can trust us."

Kagome eyed the boy's armor again, seeing for herself the evidence of his words. Realizing where she was gazing at, Kohaku looked briefly at Sango, as if seeking her approval.

"Our family has been slaying demons for generations," he explained. "That's why they made us rulers to begin with, way in the past."

"Oh," Kagome didn't know what else to say.

"I take care of the politics, and Kohaku keeps our lands free of dangerous demons," Sango added.

"Only because you're a much better ruler," the prince said, his eyes shining with open admiration for his older sister. "You fight better than I do, too."

Sango offered him a small smirk. Kagome was surprised by this bit of information.

"Well," the Princess resumed, "By seeing your reaction, I already know my brother's guessing was right—there's a dog demon involved in your story."

Kagome nodded hesitantly. "I didn't mean to keep anything from you, but I—I just didn't want to believe it myself, I guess."

"I can imagine…"

After such a reality check, Kagome told them everything about the day of the blizzard, the day her best friend had vanished. When she was finished, Kohaku cleared his throat.

"My party and I saw them flying to the West during winter," he said cautiously. "He—he didn't seem to be going anywhere against his will. He was just sitting on the dog's back when they flew above the trees."

Kagome gulped. "He'd been acting strange before he disappeared. I said this to your sister. Maybe he was under a spell or something?"

"And this is what we need to find out next," Sango said. "I'm already looking into tricks that can be used to manipulate demons—Inuyasha is half, after all. Lucky for us, there isn't much that can be done, really… Most people, like our family, just use brute strength against them."

"And we already know force had nothing to do with it," Kohaku murmured.

"I will prepare a list of what could've been done to your friend, and we'll go over it together," the Princess assured her. "In the meantime, rest and regain your strength."

* * *

It took Sango five more days to gather the results of her research.

She'd passed most of that time in her private quarters, but sometimes she'd take a stroll in the garden with Kagome and the children. It was during those moments that the peasant girl got to see how young the princess really was—much too young for all the responsibility resting on her shoulders.

No one in the castle spoke about the whole suitor fiasco that had happened a while back, but Kagome knew they were expecting something of Sango—something she wasn't ready to give. She understood what the princess's plan had been: she'd wanted to scare all possible good suitors away with her declaration that she'd only see those who could stay quiet and listen to a woman talking.

"What possible strong warrior would just go along with that, in a world like ours?" Sango had told her once, laughing. "Only the foolish ones with an attitude showed up, and no one is making me marry _those_."

 _Her scheme backfired, though_ , Kagome mused, observing with no small amount of wonder the looks that the handsome monk sent Sango's way—and vice versa.

 _It's just the way of life that the only one she's interested in is the one who didn't come for her hand at all…_

One night after dinner, when both girls had been alone, Kagome boldly asked Sango why wouldn't she marry Miroku.

"I can tell he likes you," she said reasonably. "He wouldn't have to leave, and you wouldn't have to marry a fool. Everybody wins!"

"I-It's not that simple," Sango stuttered. "People expect me to marry someone powerful, and—and besides, he never asked..."

"Probably because he thinks you'll reject him."

"Maybe I would," the princess sighed. "He's too… too _distracting_ , Kagome! It would be a liability, having a husband like that. I wouldn't want people to think I've become a fool, or that a man is controlling me—not after everything I've done to keep my family's legacy alive."

"You think love will distract you?" Kagome asked incredulously. "You think loving him will somehow make your task harder?"

"Don't you think the same about Inuyasha?"

That had been the end of their conversation. Kagome was still avoiding her feelings, after all, and focusing on her quest alone. Observing Sango do something similar only made her think that she truly did love Inuyasha in more ways than one…

Now sitting with the princess and going over the list as she described Inuyasha's behavior, this was all she could think about.

"You said his eyes would turn red sometimes," Sango mused. "Not many things can change a demon's appearance like that. The techniques I found are used to hypnotize them, to make it easier to manipulate them—not awaken their demon blood!"

"It's like he came back from that clearing _possessed_ or something…" Kagome groaned.

Sango's head snapped up at that.

"Possessed… Changing appearance… Acting cold…"

"What is it, Princess?"

"Kagome…" she hesitated. "Have you ever heard of the Shikon no Tama?"

Kagome gulped at that. She'd grown up listening to the story, and she'd heard it again from Shippo during their traveling. After the fox demon supplied the details she hadn't known about the legend, there had been a brief moment in which Kagome wondered if it were possible Inuyasha had a jewel shard.

"He would've told me," she murmured. "He tells me everything."

"I'm sorry, Kagome," Sango exhaled, "but I don't see how it could be anything else. Although the jewel is just a legend amongst us humans, I know for a fact—and apparently you do too—that demons still fight over the remaining shards."

"I-I know, but… but he wouldn't have kept it from _me_. Never!"

"You said there was a fight in a clearing, that he came home acting strange after that. He could have gotten the shard there," Sango insisted. "He told you there was a swarm of demons attacking!"

Kagome took a deep breath, trying to control her tears. The princess was being reasonable, but to admit that Inuyasha would keep secrets from her was like getting a step farther from him instead of closer.

"I-Is it possible for someone else to put a shard on you?" She asked, hoping Sango's answer would be different from Shippo's. "Is it p-possible that you wouldn't know?"

The princess seemed to consider her words carefully. "The shards are small, so if someone got close enough…" she paused, "during a _fight_ , for instance…"

Kagome nodded eagerly. Although she didn't like the idea of Inuyasha having a shard, knowing what made him act strange was essential if she wanted to undo it.

"I don't think a demon would give up their shard, but…" the princess frowned. "I guess it could have been an accident, the result of a badly calculated move."

There was a brief silence after that.

"Well, we may never know," Sango sighed. "But from everything you told me of his behavior, I think it's safe to say your friend has a shard of the Shikon no Tama. My father fought many demons who had those in his time; I recognize the signs."

"There's something I don't get about the jewel..." Kagome hesitated, knowing that what she was about to say could be considered incredibly naive. "If it were formed from the souls of demons and a powerful priestess, shouldn't it be good _and_ bad? Why do people turn so cold and… and _mean_ when they have it?"

Sango frowned. "I don't think there's an answer to that, Kagome. They always did." She shrugged. "Maybe… maybe the priestess is unhappy. Lonely. Angry. I know I would be."

Kagome couldn't argue with that.

* * *

"White dog demons are very rare," Kohaku said. "As far as I know, there's only that one left—and it was heading West." He traced an invisible line with his finger on the map in front of him.

Kagome nodded, clinging to his words like a lifeline. After she had talked to Sango about the jewel, the next step was talking to her brother about the route he'd been taking when he saw Inuyasha.

"You'll have to take Kirara with you," Kohaku mumbled, patting the fire-cat's head lovingly as she rested on his shoulder. "She can fly when she transforms, and she'll protect you too."

"B-But… won't you miss her?" Kagome asked, noticing the sadness in the boy's eyes.

"She knows her way back home," he grinned. "I'm not giving her up… it's a temporary thing."

Humbled by his offer, the girl could only thank him.

"I wish you'd stay longer... we could try to find out where the dog demon is—but I know you're in a hurry," the prince said fast. "And if I didn't find the place in any of my travels, another month researching won't matter, really…"

"Just knowing I have to head West is enough," Kagome smiled. "I didn't even have a direction before. Thank you—again."

Kohaku blushed, averting his eyes.

Princess Sango didn't like the idea of Kagome and Kirara going alone in search of a dog demon, but she also knew that was the best plan at the moment, considering the girl wanted to leave as soon as possible. White dog demons were easily recognizable, so the princess knew this one must have been hiding for years; there was a chance Kagome wouldn't even find it, let alone confront it. The girl would end up having to ask for someone else's help when she got to the West.

"You have to be discreet," Sango instructed. "Think about who you'll ask, observe the way they live. Dog demons inspire loyalty wherever they are—people may not take kindly to your searching."

Kagome nodded.

"Though I suspect this one is pretty reclusive," the princess sighed. "I wish I could go with you."

Kagome took Sango's hands in hers. "You have a duty here. Your people can't have their ruler away indefinitely!"

"Well, in that case, Kohaku—"

"Is your Prince, your General, your best defense against attackers," Kagome counted with a sigh. "Don't get me wrong; the last thing I want is to be alone, but… but Kirara is strong—you both seem to trust her, that is."

Her green kimono was returned to her, this time with a silken red obi to go with it. Kagome felt humbled by the gift, knowing it didn't match her simple garb at all. Sango had wanted her to take the yellow silken one she'd been wearing, but Kagome didn't think it was suited for long travels.

When the princess took her to her quarters and told the girl to choose whatever she wanted to take, Kagome picked a red scarf to put around her neck.

"Only you, Kagome," Sango said affectionately, "would have picked such a simple thing."

The girl blushed. "I had to give up mine along the way," she explained. "It's silly, but I really wanted Inuyasha to see me wearing it—I think he would like it."

Sango gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.

They hadn't told Shippo he wouldn't be going with her yet. Kagome knew the kit would be inconsolable, so she waited until the night before her departure to talk to him alone in their room.

"You can't come, Shippo," she said, looking deeply into his wide green eyes. "It's dangerous. I know you're tough, but you're really just a kid. You'll be safe here!" Kagome said all at once, hoping he would get her point.

"B-But we're partners!" He protested. "I can take care of myself _and_ you—you know I can!" He puffed out his chest in a show of bravado, but his eyes were filled with tears.

Kagome felt her own eyes stinging. "I know you can, but should you?" She shook her head. "You deserve a home, Shippo. I can tell you like Princess Sango and Shiori, and they can give you that. You'll never want for anything in your life! You'll live here—in a castle!"

"I don't want a castle," he spat. "It doesn't hold a candle to traveling with you!"

Kagome hugged him tightly. "I want you to have a chance at being a child, Shippo. What kind of person would I be if I let you come with me? Besides," she smiled into his orange hair, "this isn't goodbye; not really. Do you think I could stand to never see you again?"

"But you still won't let me come," he mumbled against her neck, and she felt his hot tears on her skin. "You won't change your mind?"

"No," she whispered. "I want what's best for you, Shippo."

The kit disentangled himself from her with an angry glare. Wiping his tears, he turned to the door and left. Deciding he probably needed some space, Kagome let him be.

She cried until she fell asleep.

* * *

"Promise me you'll return," Sango said as she embraced Kagome.

Kagome held her tighter before letting go. "Of course I will."

They were at the castle gates; Kirara was transformed and loaded with two sacks of food. Kagome's yellow satchel was filled to the point of bursting open—four mantles, an extra pair of shoes, daggers and other small things rested in it.

"Do you have the map with you?" Kohaku asked for the thousandth time.

"Yes, Prince Kohaku," Kagome smiled, patting her red obi for emphasis.

"I guess that's it, then," Sango said, her eyes moist.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Princess. I could never repay you," Kagome said, squeezing her hand. "And do something about that monk," she whispered with a wink, making Sango blush.

Miroku came forward and bowed his head. "Be safe, my friend. I wish you the best of luck." Myoga and Shoga, both perched on his shoulders, smiled at her and said goodbye. Shoga wiped her eyes with a little handkerchief.

"Thank you both for your help," Kagome nodded at the pair. "I would never have made it here without you."

The girl looked up at the castle walls wistfully. _Even Shiori came to say goodbye_ , she mused, _but not Shippo._ She had looked for him everywhere. The guards said he hadn't left the castle, which put an end to her worries—but not her sadness.

Sighing, Kagome sent her friends one last grateful look before mounting on Kirara. The nekomata turned her head slightly, as if waiting for Kagome's signal to leave. When the girl grasped her yellow fur in tight fists, she took flight. Kagome looked back only once to see the group of people waving at her, becoming smaller and smaller as the trees passed by.

When they were almost on the road, she heard someone calling her name.

Turning her head, Kagome saw Shippo running after them on all fours, his orange ponytail flipping on the wind.

"I'M SORRY, KAGOME!" He yelled.

She was about to ask Kirara to stop, but Shippo took a turn and climbed a tall, naked tree. Perched on the highest limb, he waved at Kagome.

"COME BACK WITH INUYASHA!"

She couldn't be sure from that distance, but she thought he was crying. Feeling her heart burst with love for her little friend, she turned more in his direction to wave back.

"I WILL!"

Kagome watched him until her neck was hurting, until he became no more than an orange point blurred by her tears.

* * *

The sun was already setting when Kagome and Kirara made it into the woods Prince Kohaku had mentioned.

 _Stick to the road_ , he'd instructed. _People get lost in there sometimes._

Kagome tightened her hold on Kirara's fur, missing the distraction of Shippo's talking more than ever. Sensing her distress, the cat demon made to stop, but Kagome patted her neck reassuringly, saying without words they should keep going.

 _I spent sixteen days at the castle_ , she mused. _I must make up for lost time…_

'Lost' wasn't the right way to put it, though. Kagome knew she had been injured and weak when she broke into Princess Sango's home, and she would have been even worse by now if she'd kept traveling. Most importantly, she finally knew where she was going and what she would probably be facing there—all thanks to Sango and Kohaku.

Kirara's low growl snapped her out of her thoughts.

Kagome had a second to take in the sight of the two figures standing on the road before all hell broke loose.

An old woman came forward and put her scythe to the cat demon's throat. Kirara quickly backed away, closely followed by the swinging weapon. Something collided with Kagome's left shoulder, pushing her back against a tree bark.

Groaning from pain, Kagome looked around to assess her situation. She was pinned to the tree by an arrow on her shoulder, standing on her tiptoes on its roots. Kirara was right in front of her, blocking the old woman's scythe with her snapping jaw, her tails brushing on Kagome's knees as they moved.

A little further ahead, a black-haired girl stood with her bow lifted. Their eyes met, brown on brown, and Kagome thought she might be looking in a mirror.

"H-Hey, you!" Kagome called, her breathing ragged. "Can you please take this arrow out?"

In the back of her mind, Kagome knew her request was naive at best, but the pain was too much for her to ponder on it. "I'll g-give you anything," she rasped.

The girl stepped forward, sparing the two combatants a glance before returning her attention to Kagome. "I won't kill you as long as you don't vex me," she warned with a serious expression, her gaze hardening.

Kagome quickly took in her loose black hair, her ragged brown kimono, the arrows at her back.

 _You look a lot like the Robber Girl_ , Sango had said.

 _Oh, God._

* * *

Setsumi stood in front of Inuyasha's bedroom door.

Aside from the beating of his heart and his breathing, there wasn't a sound coming from inside. He missed supper that night, and the servants told her they hadn't seen him all day. She knew Inuyasha was not an indoors person by any stretch of the imagination; the very idea that he could sit in his room for an entire day was ludicrous to her.

 _Then again_ , she mused, _the idea that he could sit at all used to be ludicrous to me._

Knowing the boy was awake, Setsumi lifted her hand to tap lightly on his door, but stopped mid-motion when he spoke.

"I know you're there," his voice came through low and rasped. "Come in already."

Setsumi slid the door open.

The room was dark, but she never needed the light to see anything. Inuyasha was crouching near his futon, his head bowed, holding a small mirror in one of his clawed hands.

"You missed dinner," she remarked.

Slowly, Inuyasha stood and turned to face her. Setsumi had already known what she would see once he did.

Jagged purple stripes marked his cheeks; his fangs were bigger, but not as big as she knew they could get. His eyelines were black, making him look older than he really was. She'd seen him change briefly from time to time, but it was never like this. When Inuyasha's demon blood took over before, his eyes were always red, his pupils were blue, and it never lasted an entire day—like she knew this had.

"It's not going away this time," he said in that rough voice, as if reading her mind. His eyebrows furrowed.

This was what Setsumi had imagined would happen since she realized something was wrong with him, back when she'd asked him to come to the floating castle with her. Inuyasha was a demon now; like her late husband, like herself—like Sesshomaru, their prodigal (and most likely dead) son.

"Finally," she said with a tight smile.

It was unquestionable that Inuyasha had a shard of the Shikon no Tama now.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I finally gave birth to this chapter lol.

I'm glad Kikyo entered the story at last, because writing her as the Robber Girl was what I wanted since I began it!

It's been easier to update _Spirited Away_ (since it's in bits and all), but after writing _Adult Supervision_ (phew!), I was ready to come back to _Frozen Heart_. That being said, I could really use some incentive right now… if it isn't a bother! :3

As always, thank you for reading.


	8. Some Learning

**ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ**

 **Some Learning**

 _Every evening I tickle his neck with my sharp knife; he is so frightened at it!_

* * *

 _Kagome smiled satisfactorily at the short line Inuyasha made on the tree bark with his claw. She was finally as tall as he._

" _It can't be," the little boy grumbled, crossing his arms in a show of irritation. He looked from his mark to hers, furrowing his eyebrows. "You stood on your tiptoes!"_

 _She whirled on him, pointing her finger at his nose. "Don't you dare, Inuyasha!" She scowled. Then, something occurred to the little girl, making her give him a devious smile. "If anyone's cheating, that's you!"_

" _Me?" He narrowed his golden eyes. "How so?"_

 _Kagome quickly grabbed one of his ears between her fingers. "These make you taller," she stated. "They're pointy!"_

" _D-Don't be stupid!" He stuttered, covering his ears with his hands. "They don't make any difference!"_

" _Alright… so I'll go get a shawl to tie around your head—then we'll see it!" Before he could retort, Kagome started running toward her home, holding her kimono above her knees. She could hear Inuyasha yelling right behind her, and she knew he'd be on her any moment now, but still she ran._

 _Kagome laughed, feeling the wind play with her short black hair and listening to the silence around her. For some reason she didn't understand, nature always seemed to hold its breath when Inuyasha chased her; even the birds stopped chirping._

 _He wasn't coming, though. Little Kagome stopped, looking around the clearing for any sign of her friend._

" _INUYASHA!" She called—over and over and over, until she couldn't anymore._

Kagome woke up with a start, feeling someone lying beside her in the dark. Her hands were sweating and her breathing was hard, as if she'd been really running instead of just dreaming of the past.

 _Not quite_ , she thought dejectedly. _In the past, he always caught me._

Taking a deep breath, she tried to turn around and see where she was, but the cold touch of a blade under her chin stopped her mid-move.

"Go back to sleep," a voice roughened by sleep commanded, and Kagome suddenly remembered everything. She'd been taken hostage by the Robber Girl and her mother, who inhabited a secluded hut in the middle of the woods— _here_.

Kagome had no idea why the Robber Girl thought kidnapping her would be profitable, but the thief was wrong. She'd tried to tell them she was just a peasant girl searching for her lost friend, but knives on her throat had a way of making her shut it.

Thinking of her dream, Kagome closed her eyes and wished she was still a carefree girl, running in the clearing with Inuyasha—as wild as he. The simple pleasures of childhood, like racing him to the river and catching fireflies at night, made her heart ache with nostalgia. Kagome took a shuddering breath, refusing to cry. If her quest had taught her anything, it was that her tears were good for nothing.

 _Inuyasha always told me that. I wish I'd listened._

 _Maybe I'd be tougher by now._

She couldn't contain the sob that escaped her constricted throat, but she kept her eyes closed tightly against the treacherous tears.

 _Inuyasha wouldn't cry_ , Kagome told herself fiercely.

 _But he also would've found me by now. He wouldn't have been delayed at every damn step he took!_

"You won't gain anything by keeping me here," she murmured to the Robber Girl as the cold touch of the knife disappeared. "You took everything of value I had. There's nothing left."

"I'm sure someone would pay to have you back," Kikyo replied. Kagome felt the reverberation of her voice passing from the girl's back to hers, and it made her recoil. The wound on her shoulder throbbed; it had been roughly treated by her captors.

Kagome sighed. "You won't be getting anything out of this."

"We shall see." Kikyo murmured. "Sleep—you're starting to vex me."

 _If I were brave, I would strangle her in her sleep. Inuyasha would._

But she wasn't Inuyasha, was she? Kagome wasn't strong; she was just a human girl, miles and miles away from her home, searching for someone whom everyone thought was dead. For the first time since she left, the weight of her quest—the utter _craziness_ of what she'd done—seemed to register. A young woman of fifteen, unchaperoned, traveling the land with nothing but hope in her heart, and counting on the goodwill of strangers to help her?

 _You're not an optimistic like you thought. You're just downright stupid._

 _But_ , she amended, _you did find good people who helped you. You wouldn't have made it this far without them._

Finding some small measure of comfort in this last thought, Kagome closed her eyes and tried to sleep, doing her best to ignore that a heartless girl with a knife had her back to hers.

* * *

Kagome woke up to find Kikyo sitting across the room, slicing an apple with her knife. At her slight movement, the Robber Girl lifted her eyes and sniggered.

"Rise and shine," Kikyo said, sounding almost cheerful in her mocking.

Kagome took in her torn clothes, which were red and white like a shrine maiden's. "Are you dressed as a priestess?" She mumbled, sitting up and blinking the sleep from her eyes.

Kikyo ate one slice of her apple before answering. "We steal from anyone." She shrugged. "I wear whatever I get." The Robber Girl tossed one half of the fruit in Kagome's direction, which she miraculously caught. "Besides, this is a good way to trick travelers."

"Why do you do this?" Kagome asked pensively, feeling the moisture from the apple smearing her fingers. "Steal, I mean—and kidnap," she grumbled the last part as an afterthought.

Kikyo's eyes were piercing. "We all do what we must to survive. Not everyone has a good home and a good family, like you obviously do."

Kagome felt momentarily ashamed of herself, but she shook the feeling off. She wasn't the one who should be ashamed in that situation—not by a very long shot.

"Where's Kirara?"

"Mother put some ofuda we stole from a monk on her," Kikyo said nonchalantly. "She's outside."

Kagome ate her half of the apple quickly and in silence. Her heart ached at the thought of the faithful nekomata sleeping out in the cold. She should've suspected something like this had happened; an old human woman would never have been able to subdue the cat demon without some spiritual trick.

"Tell me where you come from," Kikyo ordered calmly. "We'll see if you have any value then."

"I told you I'm just a village girl!" Kagome crossed her arms, wincing right afterward at the sharp pain on her shoulder. _Not a good idea._ She folded her hands in her lap. "Even if I had someone to pay my way out of here, which I don't, do you expect me to believe you would just let me go? After seeing where you live?" She huffed.

"We never stay at the same place for long. What you see or don't doesn't matter."

Looking at Kikyo's face, Kagome felt a wave of pity for the Robber Girl. She couldn't have been more than seventeen, but she behaved much older. It couldn't have been a good life, moving from place to place with your criminal mother.

"How did you start stealing?" Kagome blurted.

Kikyo paused the knife, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Then, she put the fruit down on her lap and looked up again.

"Well, I see no harm in telling you," she mused with a small smile—and it seemed almost genuine this time. "Maybe it will encourage you to speak faster. If it doesn't, I have other methods."

Kagome gulped, but she kept her jaw clenched.

"I don't know how we started stealing," Kikyo said with a slight shrug. "Mother has been doing it for as long as I can remember, and she taught me well. I have wanted for nothing in my life." Kikyo snorted. "Do you think working in the fields until I died would have been better, perhaps?"

 _She sounds so bitter… maybe even angry._

"Perhaps." Kagome shrugged.

Kikyo's eyes grew distant. "What about you?" She asked. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing so far from home?"

"How do you know I'm far from home?"

"It's easy to tell." Kikyo snuffled. "You were carrying enough for a long journey."

"I'm just looking for a friend who's been missing," Kagome said. "The things you found were given to me by good people who decided to help." She paused, glaring at the other girl. "I would've told you this already, but you put that knife to my throat, and well… I got the hint."

"Well, you do seem like the kind to talk a lot." Kikyo snorted. "So, I must believe you were given food, clothes, weapons, and a _cat demon_ out of the goodness of someone's heart? A peasant girl with no name?"

 _Well, when she puts it like that, it sounds kind of farfetched._ Kagome thought grumpily, opening and closing her mouth. _But so does being invited to stay in a castle after breaking in, and I was!_

"Don't you believe people can help others just 'cause they want to?" Kagome asked exasperatedly.

Kikyo lifted an eyebrow, finishing eating her apple. "I don't."

There was a moment of silence in which they glared at each other.

"Start your story from the beginning," Kikyo required, narrowing her eyes again. "And make it believable." She got up and sat again beside Kagome, bringing her face close to the girl's shoulder. As Kikyo undid the bloodied cloth to see her wound, Kagome felt her hands sweating.

 _Just tell her the truth._

 _Even if she ends up blackmailing Princess Sango, you have no other explanation to give._

* * *

"Why do I have to wear this again?" Inuyasha asked in a bored tone, staring at the armor they had left on a wooden holder in the middle of his room.

"Because it will be an improvement to your current attire," Setsumi stated, eyeing him skeptically.

"You didn't give a shit before."

"Well, I do now."

Inuyasha turned his head to study her, and he thought he saw some strange emotion passing through her cold golden eyes. He blinked, and it was gone.

"Because of this?" He asked, lifting his hand to trace the mark on his left cheek with a claw. It was strangely more sensitive than the rest of his skin.

"Among other things, yes," Setsumi conceded, holding his gaze.

Inuyasha approached the Snow Queen very slowly, stopping right in front of her. For less than a second, he thought he could smell apprehension wafting from her—but that too was gone too quickly, even for his enhanced senses.

"You still say you had nothing to do with this?" He rasped.

"I may be many things, boy, but I'm not a liar." Her delicate jaw was clenched tight, but she showed no emotion other than that.

For some unfathomable reason, he believed her—but that didn't mean she wasn't taking advantage of his situation, or keeping secrets from him. The strange thing was, Inuyasha didn't particularly care anymore. What reason did he have to? She offered him a castle, a place in his father's home, power…

 _An empty castle!_ Something demanded to be heard inside his blurred mind. _A house with no father, and power you never wanted._

 _Is this why you left Kagome?_

 _It's not worth it._

 _Turn around and leave._

… _Like_ _this_ _?_

Inuyasha looked away from Setsumi, walking to the holder. He touched the cold— _cold_ —armor with his fingertips. The breastplate was a lustrous black, shining ominously in the dim light that came through the door. Spiked pauldrons for his shoulders were attached to it, and they made Inuyasha think of a lizard he found under Kagome's futon when they were younger.

 _Keh. Everything reminds you of her, doesn't it? Even now, when you can't come back. Not like this._

That loud _something_ —what remained of his conscience, perhaps?—insisted that she wouldn't mind, but he ignored it.

"I'll wear it, alright." Inuyasha shrugged. "If you tell me what you plan to do with me now."

Setsumi lifted an eyebrow. "Prepare you to rule."

" _Are_ you dying, then?" He snorted. She didn't answer, so he sighed and resumed: "how?"

"First of all, you must learn how to fight," Setsumi said, coming to stand beside him in front of the armor.

In other circumstances, Inuyasha would've been offended, but he wasn't nearly as short-tempered as he used to be. He knew she meant fighting with techniche, which he didn't have. For him, fighting had always been the means to an end; protecting his house from a suspicious demon that came too close to it, protecting Kagome from the boys who surrounded her when she was thirteen, coming home alone after sunset…

He made it in time, but the thought of what could've happened to her had kept him awake many nights.

"And just who'll teach me?" He asked with a semblance of his old petulance. "Your weak underlings?"

"No," she said, and Inuyasha heard the smile in her voice. Every hair on his body stood on end. "I will."

* * *

Kagome wasn't sure of how long had passed since she started her story, but the sunlight coming through the door had moved to the middle of the room when she was finished. Golden dust floated in the air, and Kikyo's eyes seemed even darker from where Kagome sat.

"Princess Sango is your friend, then?"

Kagome closed her eyes and banged her head against the wooden wall. _She'll ask her to pay for my rescue. Damn it!_ "Yes." The girl sighed. She couldn't turn back now; Kagome had never been a good liar.

 _Look on the bright side_ , she told herself ironically. _At least she cleaned your wound before using you for blackmail,_ _and_ _Creepy Mama has been away all day!_

"Well, you may have some value, after all," Kikyo mumbled, but her mind seemed far away from their conversation.

There was a pregnant pause.

"You must love him very much."

It had come out as soft as a prayer, and Kagome thought she had imagined it for all of three seconds. She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes to see Kikyo through the light.

"I-Inuyasha?" She stuttered.

"Who else?"

Kagome squirmed a little under the feel of her gaze. "I always knew I did," she murmured. "But it's different now. It's more… more raw." She didn't know what she meant by that, or why she was telling something so personal to her kidnapper, but it seemed so natural… as if Kikyo and her weren't so different, as if they were just two friends sitting together and chatting after a long day working in the fields— _something she'll never do._

"If I vanished, I'd be on my own," Kikyo contemplated. "Not even Mother would do what you're doing." She gave a quiet laugh.

For a selfish, cruel moment, Kagome wished she would disappear. People like Kikyo, embittered by what life had done to them, were sometimes too glad to make others suffer for it. The Robber Girl was delaying her reunion with Inuyasha, holding her hostage, and Kagome had a hard time sympathizing.

 _Inuyasha._

He was bitter, too, in a way. Would he have ended up like Kikyo if he didn't have Kaede? Would he steal, deceive, and possibly kill?

 _Not everyone has a good home and a good family, like you obviously do_ , Kikyo had said.

"When I was six, I stabbed a monk in the arm to get his purse," Kikyo confessed suddenly. "Before I did it, he already knew I would. He told me of a priestess who could train me if I wanted."

Kagome waited, not knowing what to say.

"Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I'd said yes," Kikyo mused. "I don't think it's the life for me, but maybe… maybe it would have been better than this."

 _Why's she telling me all this?_

 _What do I say?_

"I don't think you'd be a very good priestess." Kagome said, unable to stop herself. _Smooth._

Kikyo laughed, sounding true for the first time. "I think you're right. As bad as things are right now, at least I have the thrill." Her eyes sparkled.

Kagome smiled in spite of the situation. "You'd be a good demon slayer, if you ask me."

Before Kikyo could reply, her mother— _Urasue_ , if Kagome wasn't mistaken—entered the hut. She tossed two leather purses at her daughter, sniggering.

"It's your turn now, child," Urasue said, stretching. "I've been away since morning."

Kikyo turned and crept to the corner of the room, getting her torn brown kimono out from a sack of clothes.

"Keep the priestess's garb on, stupid girl." Urasue rolled her eyes, sitting down with a huff. "It's easier to work this way!"

"You brainless hag," Kikyo said derisively. "People around here have seen me wearing this already."

"We're in the middle of a forest!"

"Do you want trouble?"

"No, you're trouble enough."

Kagome winced, keeping silent and trying to become one with the wall behind her. The dynamics between Kikyo and her mother reminded her of Inuyasha and Kaede's, but without the warmth she always heard behind the words of her adored family.

Noticing how Kikyo's back stiffened, she was certain of her impression.

"I carry you on my back most of the time," Kikyo said, discarding her priestess's clothes. "I can't wait for you to die."

 _There's no love lost between these two._

"Won't take long," Urasue grumbled, rolling her shoulders. "Unless you really _can't_ wait... " The old woman smirked at her daughter's back.

 _Did she just suggest Kikyo kill her?_

Kikyo didn't answer. Kagome watched her getting ready to leave with growing desperation, unable to bear the thought of being alone with Urasue in the tiny hut.

"What about this little mouse we have?" Urasue asked as if on cue, eyeing the girl greedily. Her brown eyes seemed to glow magenta under the light of the setting sun. "Is anything else coming from where all those goods she had with her came?"

Kikyo grabbed her bow and arrows before turning to face her mother. "She's just a peasant girl who stole some goods along the way. There's nothing more to it."

Kikyo lied so flippantly, Kagome was aghast. The Robber Girl knew of her connection to Princess Sango; she even implied that she would, in fact, blackmail her friend.

 _Is she protecting me?_

"Then you should dispose of her before you leave." Urasue suggested, bringing some firewood to the fire pit.

Kikyo stopped short, smiling slowly at her mother, who wasn't even looking.

 _Maybe not. Oh, God._

"Sure," she said. Kikyo turned to Kagome. She walked over to her and grabbed the peasant girl by the arm, hauling her up. Kagome looked up at her pleadingly, but Kikyo's jaw was set and her eyes were guarded.

 _If she thinks I won't fight for my life, she's got another thing coming_ , Kagome thought, squaring her shoulders to better match Kikyo's height. She could feel her stomach rumbling (they'd only eaten an apple all day) and her knees shaking, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

 _Inuyasha would have sliced their faces off._

"I'll eat something and take a nap while you're at it." Urasue's voice snapped Kagome out of her thoughts. Kikyo had been staring at her face, but she quickly turned to leave at her mother's words, dragging Kagome behind her.

* * *

Inuyasha faced Setsumi, who was standing a few meters away in the middle of the courtyard. The sunset made the white-stoned ground shine golden. He could see a few servants watching them from the shadows of the covered pathway, apparently trying hard not to make any sound.

"What do you know about fighting?" Setsumi asked, inspecting her fingernails. She had stripped off her pelted mantle for their training session, which made her look smaller—more fragile. She wasn't short, but she sure was thin; maybe the thinnest woman Inuyasha had ever seen.

"I know how to use my claws." Inuyasha shrugged. "I found out I could make cutting blades with my blood when I was little."

Setsumi eyed him curiously. "How did you find that out?"

"A bear was after me. It cut my arm."

"And how old were you?"

"Seven."

"Hn." She nodded as if this were natural. "So, you never learned how to use a sword?" She lifted one of her pale eyebrows, pursing her lips.

"Why would a village kid need a sword?" Inuyasha snorted. "I killed the weak demons who got close easily enough, and angry humans are nothing to fear."

"I disagree," Setsumi said, surprising him. "A mob of angry humans could dispose of a half-demon child with little trouble."

"Only if you get caught." Inuyasha paused, his mind going back to his family of misfits. "'Sides, I wasn't totally alone."

Setsumi sighed, but there was no pity in her face. _Good._ "Before I introduce you to the art of brandishing a sword, I must see how strong and fast you are."

Inuyasha didn't really want to fight her, or any other woman for that matter.

He had less than a heartbeat to prepare for Setsumi's attack.

She came at him in a white and indigo blurr, claws extended toward his throat, a small smile on her lips. He dodged at the last second, feeling her hand passing through the ends of his hair.

Inuyasha whirled on her.

"Think of where you're aiming at," she said, easily avoiding his claws. "You attacked me before deciding _where_." She made a try for his stomach, managing to scratch his armor before he moved away.

"This shit's heavy," Inuyasha complained, sidestepping when she striked again.

"A demon lord must be presentable." Setsumi huffed. "And don't be so vulgar."

Inuyasha saw an opening on her left side. He went for it, but she banged her elbow against his temple, making him see stars. He shook the pain off, keeping his cool. He knew that this should've been be the part where he started cursing her, but Inuyasha didn't feel the least bit inclined to do so.

She grabbed him by the neck and tossed him against one of the pillars of the covered pathway. The servants ran away in desperation, afraid to be caught in his way.

Inuyasha spat dust on the floor, deciding that enough was enough. As he lifted himself up from his crater, Setsumi was _right there_ again. Inuyasha grabbed her wrists when she made to strangle him, snapping his jaw at her. It seemed to startle her enough for him to kneel her stomach.

The air rushed out of her lungs and she stumbled backwards, but she didn't go very far. It made him feel slightly better about doing that to a woman.

 _I may he heartless, but I'm not that heartless._ He gave himself a proverbial pat on the back for still being a gentleman.

"That was fairly decent," Setsumi said as she straightened, tossing her twin ponytails back over her shoulders. "But don't snap your jaw at me, boy—unless you want to lose it."

She went for his face next, and Inuyasha quickly jumped on the rooftop of the covered pathway. Setsumi had managed to scratch his cheek, though, and he felt it acutely on his sensitive stripe, almost wishing she'd used her freezing touch to alleviate the throbbing.

When Setsumi came after him, he kicked her right side, getting up from his hunched position and running for it.

Inuyasha soon discovered that while he could jump long distances, Setsumi could literally fly. It was an unfair advantage, and he told her so.

"Why don't you try it?" She replied between strikes. "You might be able to do it now."

Feeling his blood boil with the thrill of the fight, Inuyasha leapt from the rooftop.

* * *

"Stop struggling, you fool!' Kikyo hissed in the darkness.

"The least I can do is give you a hard time," Kagome grunted, not even realizing she had spoken out loud. She still tugged and kicked, falling gracelessly to the ground when Kikyo released her.

"If Mother listens, I'll have to kill you."

That made Kagome stop, looking up at Kikyo's silhouette against the moonlight. The Robber Girl put a finger to her lips, helping Kagome stand.

"The nekomata is unconscious behind the hut," Kikyo whispered. "Release her from the seals while I kill chicken for you to take."

Kagome did as she was told, stumbling in the dark. The wound in her arm didn't hurt as much as she remembered the others hurting; maybe she was getting used to the pain. She felt just an uncomfortable throbbing, nothing worth stopping her journey for.

 _And certainly not my escape_ , she added to herself.

Kirara was a little disoriented when Kagome finished taking the ofuda off of her, but the girl shushed her by holding her head tenderly. The nekomata inhaled Kagome's scent and stopped shaking.

"We don't have much time, Kirara," she murmured. "The Robber Girl is helping us escape."

The cat demon blinked her red eyes at the girl, signaling that she understood the situation. Kagome mounted on her and they silently flew back to where she had last seen Kikyo.

The Robber Girl gestured for them to follow, getting farther from the hut and further into the woods. After a few minutes had passed, Kikyo stopped and turned, handing Kagome a large sack and the map Kohaku had given her.

"The map was all I could get from your things," Kikyo said. "There are two chickens in that sack. I hope it's enough until you make another stop."

 _You mean until I'm stopped again_ , Kagome thought. "Um—thank you, Kikyo."

The Robber Girl lifted her hand to silence her. "Don't thank me. I'm one of the bad guys, remember?" She offered Kagome a wry smile, which the girl could only see because of Kirara's glowing eyes.

"True enough." Kagome shrugged. "But you still helped me. I won't say I like you, though."

"You don't have to like me," Kikyo said. "You just have to respect me, I think."

Kagome slowly nodded. She put Kohaku's map on her obi and held the sack tightly. "I-I hope I never see you again, Robber Girl."

"You better not." Kikyo laughed quietly. "It's never a good sign."

Before Kagome left, she paused to study the teenager one last time. There was a question nagging her. "Why did you decide to help me?"

"I am a very self-indulgent person." Kikyo lifted her nose a little, as if making her point. "It would please me to think you found your friend, even if you don't."

"Why?"

"I want to remember at least one story gone right." The Robber Girl looked away. "Don't ask me to explain it—I just do."

"So you're not turning good?" Kagome smirked.

"Get away from here—now." Kikyo slapped Kirara's behind as if she were a horse, and the nekomata meowed indignantly before taking off. Kikyo ran right beside them for a few meters, her loose hair flying behind her like black silk, before she made a sharp turn left. Since that wasn't the way to the hut, Kagome realized she was carrying on with the night's robbery.

 _I pity whoever stands in her way_ , she mused.

In Kagome's innocent world of black and white, the Robber Girl had been the first of many grays to come.

* * *

 **A/N:** We're getting to the end of this fairytale, guys. I can see Inuyasha and Kagome's reunion on the horizon lol.

This wasn't the last you've seen of the Robber Girl, but the circumstances will be different when they meet again.

Please, take a few seconds to review if you can. It really helps to know you're actually reading it! Thanks again :)


	9. One Last Advice

**A/N:** To make things easier, the circumstances of Inuyasha's birth in _Swords of an Honorable Ruler_ , the third Inuyasha movie, were taken into account here.

* * *

 **One Last Advice**

 _She cannot receive any power from us; she possesses it in her heart._

* * *

Kagome's thighs hurt from riding on Kirara for so long. The cat demon was panting and her movements were slowing down, but Kagome didn't have the heart to tell her to go faster.

She didn't have the heart for much anything, really. Exhaustion had a way of making even the most hopeful person lose their faith.

 _But I can't_ , Kagome thought, feeling the tell-tale pricking of her eyes. _I want to see Inuyasha again._ She buried her face in Kirara's soft fur, seeking some sort of comfort and protection against the cold wind—much too cold for springtime.

Kohaku's map had stopped being useful miles back, as they knew it would. Kirara and Kagome had kept going West, and now they seemed to be alone in a wasteland. The few farms Kagome saw were clearly abandoned or in very poor condition. Sango had told her she would need to be careful when asking people about a dog demon's hiding place, because they inspired loyalty wherever they were, but that didn't seem like much of a problem; there was no one around to ask. If Kirara weren't such a good hunter, they'd have both perished by now.

She had foolishly lost count of the days she'd been traveling West. All the hours seemed the same, their heaviness _felt_ the same to her—weighing down on her shoulders, making her think of all the time she'd lost in her search. Her nights weren't much better than her days; they were spent dreaming of Inuyasha, yearning to see his face, hold his hand, _take him home_. She didn't care if he never loved her in return; her quest had never been about romance.

It was about saving her best friend. It was about proving he wasn't dead, proving the whole village that _she_ could do it.

 _God, please,_ she prayed. _Please, just take me to him._

A traitorous thought whispered in the back of her mind: _even if it's just for closure._

As if to cut her gloomy train of thought, Kirara stopped without warning. The cat's breath hitched in her throat.

 _She can't take it anymore._ Kagome let a few tears fall, but she didn't let herself start bawling. Wiping her eyes quickly, she patted Kirara's neck. "We should call it a day," Kagome murmured.

It was still noon; they would waste hours of daylight, but Kagome's conscience wouldn't let her make Kirara strain herself anymore. The nekomata had been doing everything she could: flying, running, hunting for the both of them, protecting them against wild creatures… Kagome felt acutely what a heavy burden she was to her demon escort.

"Let's find ourselves a nice tree to rest under," the girl said more to herself than to the cat. "Everything will turn out fine."

In the silence that followed, Kagome missed Shippo's laugh more than ever. She missed Mama, her little brother and Old Kaede; she missed two small huts near the tallest tree she'd ever laid eyes upon.

Above all else, she missed him.

* * *

" _Are you afraid I'll turn on you one day?" Inuyasha asked Kagome out of the blue. They were both hunched down, planting seeds in Old Kaede's small garden._

 _Frowning, Kagome observed his little clawed fingers making holes in the soft, warm earth. He was so much more gentle than she._

" _What do you mean?" She mumbled, paying only half a mind to what he was saying. His hands stopped moving._

 _Slowly, the girl looked up into her friend's worried golden eyes. "I heard the village chief talking to Old Kaede yesterday," Inuyasha said. He swallowed, knitting his already thick eyebrows together. "He told her I'll turn on her when I grow up."_

" _That's silly." Kagome snorted. The little girl's mocking smile faded when she saw the boy's face; Inuyasha seemed miles and miles away. The seriousness of the situation caught up to her suddenly, making her straighten her thin shoulders._

" _Do you think I will?" He whispered, sounding scared. It terrified Kagome; Inuyasha wasn't scared of anything—ever. It made her pause and think hard about his question._

 _Inuyasha wouldn't worry about it if it weren't important._

" _Do you like living with Old Kaede?" She asked._

 _He immediately nodded. "I miss Mom, b-but I like it. She said she ain't feeling so lonely with me here."_

" _Then why would you hurt her?" Kagome rolled her eyes impatiently. "I told you this is silly... Besides, mama says the chief's thick as a door."_

" _What's that got to do with anything?" Inuyasha grumbled._

" _In the head!"_

" _Oh. Okay."_

 _Satisfied she'd made her point, Kagome resumed her gardening. Inuyasha's hand stopped hers._

" _You'll stop me if I ever go crazy, right?" He asked quietly. "You-You'll bring me back, right?"_

 _Kagome wasn't stupid; she knew people were afraid of Inuyasha because of how he looked. She just couldn't see how he was afraid of himself. Didn't he know he wouldn't harm a fly?_

 _She sighed. "I promise."_

 _Judging from his expression, it was the right thing to do._

Kagome opened her eyes to an orange sky. Looking to her side, she saw Kirara sprawled on her stomach, still snoring. Stretching her arms above her head, the girl sat up.

"I promised I would bring you back," she murmured to herself. "I'd forgotten about that."

 _But you're still honoring it_ , Kagome's inner voice reminded her kindly. It surprised her a little; her thoughts about herself hadn't been positive or optimistic lately.

Taking a deep breath, she let her gaze follow up the dirt road they'd been on… and saw something that made her heart jump.

Smoke.

 _People._

Without missing a beat, she went to Kirara and touched her head. The cat demon opened her red eyes, blinking a few times.

"Sorry to wake you, Kirara," Kagome said, sounding breathless in her excitement. "But there's smoke ahead!"

The nekomata got up and turned her back to her, silently telling the girl to climb on.

* * *

It wasn't a hut, but a small cave.

The smoke was coming from inside it, promising warmth and maybe even protection against the night that had already fallen.

"E-Excuse me?" Kagome called from the mouth of the cave, not wanting to intrude in anyone's shelter— _or home_ , she reminded herself. This person might not be human, after all.

Judging from the tensing of Kirara's paws, her last assumption was correct.

An old man with the largest eyes Kagome had ever seen—ever—came to greet them. He had a thin bun of white hair on his otherwise bald head, and a matching goatee to go with it. No human could have such large eyes and strange facial structure; it was glaringly obvious that he was a demon.

"Yes?" He asked in a hoarse voice. The moonlight illuminated the white in his eyes, making them bluish.

Kagome climbed down from Kirara's back and stood awkwardly before him. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but…" She lifted her head, looking deeply into his eyes— _begging_. "I'm looking for someone, and I don't know these parts. Could you help me, please?"

The man pulled on his goatee absent-mindedly. "It's been awhile since a human last came to my door. Well, I suppose there's no helping it… Come, girl, or you'll freeze to death!"

He was already turning around, gesturing for her to follow.

Kagome paused for a moment, looking at Kirara for reassurance. There was a time when she wouldn't have hesitated, but she was another person now.

 _Is this a good thing?_ She wondered.

Upon seeing Kirara's nod, she trotted to catch up with the demon. The nekomata was right behind her.

 _Well, it's not like I could have refused him after asking_ , she admonished herself.

He gestured for them to sit around a cozy fire that burned in the middle of the cave. _It's really small_ , Kagome thought, taking in her surroundings. There was a futon to the side with lots of pelts and blankets on top of it, and shelves made out of the stone wall containing all sorts of objects and trinkets she couldn't see clearly.

The man sat down across from her and blinked. Kagome couldn't tell for the life of her what kind of demon he was, but she thought it would be rude to ask.

"My name is Kagome," she began. "I come from Edo searching for a lost friend, and—" She paused. Princess Sango had warned her to be careful. "And I have reason to think he went West with a dog demon."

The man's face didn't change, but he stopped blinking. "I'm Master Totosai," he said. Kagome blushed, realizing she hadn't even asked. "And I know the dog demon you speak of."

Kagome tried to reign in the hopeful beating of her heart, remembering the whole fiasco with Myoga the flea demon. "You do?"

"There aren't many left, you see." Totosai sighed, pulling on his goatee. "In fact, there are only two. The demons around here are still loyal to them."

"And the humans aren't?" Kagome frowned. Princess Sango said that everyone who lived near a dog demon ended up pledging themselves to it for protection, be it human or demon.

"There was a time when they were, but not anymore. They don't remember." Totosai shrugged, grabbing his staff from the ground and resting it against his shoulder. "Humans think of dog demons as legends now—the Snow Queen story, for instance..."

Kagome's eyes widened. "I-I grew up listening to that one! She-She's _real_?" The girl sputtered.

"You're not very far from her castle," Totosai said offhandedly, probably not understanding how much this news meant to the peasant girl. "I take it your friend is a half-demon?"

Kagome's head swam with the implication that she was near Inuyasha. Her eyes burned and her breath hitched in her throat; she valiantly tried to stop her hysterical laugh from bubbling up. Kirara transformed into her kitten size and climbed on Kagome's lap, no doubt feeling her distress and trying to offer her some support.

"He came here with her—the Snow Queen?" She tried to focus on the demon's face, shaking her head a little. "How do you know, Master Totosai?"

"I make it my business to know what happens in that castle," Totosai said. "I was a friend of your friend's father, who was married to the Snow Queen." The old man scratched the back of his neck, seemingly lost in thought. Kagome didn't have time to process his words as he kept going. "Inuyasha is there, it's true, with her, and I gather he finds everything to his liking. Probably thinks it's the best place in the world..."

Kagome's hiccup escaped her lips before she could muffle it with her hand. As she suspected, Inuyasha hadn't been brought here against his will. He'd left Edo behind and was living in a _castle_ with his stepmother!

 _Don't despair_ , she told herself. The look of pity the otherwise impassive demon sent her almost did her in. _You came all this way already, and he can be acting like this because—_

"You know, that is because he has a shard of the Shikon no Tama in his chest."

Totosai's quiet words snapped Kagome out of her spiralling thoughts. She took a deep breath, caressing Kirara's fur to calm down. "I-I met a family of demon slayers who told me that might be it, but-but how do you know for sure?"

Totosai's gaze was far away. "I'm a very old demon, girl—you wouldn't believe how old." He paused. "I've seen countless friends succumb to the lure of the jewel."

"But how do you know it's in his chest?"

"Because an old demon tree named Bokuseno, who can listen to other trees around the land, heard the boy was impaled by a boar demon in a clearing—along with a stranger on his back." Totosai fixed his tiny black pupils on her, daring her to doubt him. "How else could it have gotten inside him?"

Kagome gulped. _Impaled? Oh, God…_

"I need to bring him back," she murmured, thinking about the promise she'd made when they were children.

 _You'll stop me if I ever go crazy, right? You-You'll bring me back, right?_

She didn't realize she'd spoken out loud until Totosai replied, "Then heed my words, girl: the fragment has to come out first, or he will never be himself again!" The old man lifted one of his clawed fingers. "It is the only way."

Kagome's hands grabbed onto Kirara's furr of their own accord. The cat complained with an indignant mewl, but otherwise let her vent her frustration. "How? How do I take it out of him? Can you give anything to help me?"

Totosai leaned in her direction. The fire that stood between them cast an orange glow in his ridiculously big eyes. He opened his mouth slowly, as if still pondering what he would say. Kagome braced herself.

"I can give you no greater power that you already have."

A heartbeat passed, then two.

" _That's it?_ " Kagome screeched. Kirara leapt out of her lap and sat beside her wearily. It seemed that the ups and downs of Kagome's trip had finally made her snap. "THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO TELL ME?"

Totosai blinked and pursed his lips. "I-I think it's very good advice!" He protested weakly.

Kagome got up and started pacing back and forth. Kirara went out of her way and circled the fire to sit beside the old demon.

"How can I do this?" Kagome asked no one in particular.

"You don't see your own power." Totosai huffed.

Kagome stopped dead and turned to glare at him. " _Power?_ " She spat. "I don't know if you understand the situation, Mater Totosai, but I'm a _peasant_ who's trying to save her half-demon friend not only from a _demon queen_ , but from himself! I only made it this far because I had plenty of help, otherwise I'd have died _three days_ after I left home, in the hands of a _florist_!" Totosai lifted his finger to speak again, but Kagome didn't let him. "I left my family without a word, I starved, I was captured, injured, ambushed, I lost _so_ much time!"

She sat down again, her chest heaving. _Power. What a joke._ Burying her face in her arms, she tried to ignore the very demon whose cave she was currently inhabiting.

"You don't see." Totosai's hoarse voice was a little softer. She lifted her head cautiously, ashamed of her outburst, but too far gone to apologize. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't seem mad, either. "It sounds like you went through hell, but you are here, girl. Don't you see how both humans and demons were obliged to serve you, and how far you came without having anything to offer them in return for their help? I'm helping you right now, and you only had to ask!"

Kagome sighed dejectedly. "That's not power, Master Totosai."

"And why not?"

"Well, I can't nicely ask the shard to leave his body, now, can I?" Kagome was losing her temper again.

"Of course not, but you can ask Lady Setsumi—the Snow Queen—to get it out," the demon said. "You can get down on your knees and beg, if you must!"

Kagome felt like laughing in his face. Not even she was that naive! "How can I ask such a thing of her? What do I have to offer?"

"Nothing, just like before." Totosai shrugged. "You have nothing to lose, either."

"I beg to differ!" Kagome spat. "I have my life to lose!"

"So you'll leave him behind without trying, turn around and go on your merry way back to that wretched village of yours?"

"Ugh!" Kagome grabbed the sides of her head. "NO!"

"Then you know what to do." Totosai said simply. "Lady Setsumi isn't one to lower herself to killing a helpless human brat who couldn't possibly harm her!"

There was a moment of silence. "Why does she want him here?" Kagome asked, choosing to ignore the 'brat' part.

Totosai turned his head to the cave's entrance as if the answer were standing there. "Her son, Inuyasha's older brother, didn't want to rule; he wanted to roam the lands and fight all the most powerful beings in it. The path of supreme conquest, the foolish boy called it." Totosai sighed. "Well, it turned out to be the path of supreme _ruin!_ He disappeared, which makes Lady Setsumi the only dog demon around—and Inuyasha, the heir."

Kagome was speechless for all of two seconds before she groaned. "She'll never let him go!" She banged her fists on the earth at the unfairness of it all.

 _Where was the Snow Queen when Lady Izayoi died?_ Kagome thought bitterly. _Where was she when Old Kaede had to beg the village chief to let Inuyasha stay? Where was she?_

 _Who_ _is_ _she to take him away?_

When Kagome opened her mouth again, that wasn't the question that came out of it. "Why are you helping me?"

The old demon stiffened. "You asked nicely," he said. "And I was loyal to Inuyasha's father, as I told you. I don't think he would appreciate seeing his son being manipulated like this."

"And why haven't you tried to help him yourself?"

"They wouldn't have let me past the stairs!" The old demon huffed indignantly.

 _He's a coward, then._ Kagome slowly nodded. _But I guess I was lucky to stumble into him._

 _Well, not really lucky_ , she mused. _It's not like there's anyone else around here. He must've been really loyal to Inuyasha's father if he's the only one who stayed._

"Where's everyone?" Kagome asked quietly. Sensing her calmness, Kirara came over and lay on her lap again. "If dog demons are so great, how come their lands are abandoned?"

Totosai rolled his eyes, a gesture she found fascinating considering their size. "The land isn't theirs, girl. There is no such thing as demon land and human land; the land is one." He paused. "It belongs to those who are stronger at the moment."

She heard what he wasn't saying: _the dog demons aren't it anymore._

"Right now, the strongest is nature. There are a few demons living here, but no humans," Totosai said. "With no village or estate to offer protection, this wilderness doesn't suit their taste..."

"There's no estate around?" Kagome frowned, tensing. "But what about the castle? You said it was near!" She vaguely noticed she was sounding desperate again. Kirara mewled a warning.

"It _is_ near," Totosai confirmed, lifting a finger again. Kagome mentally prepared herself for another vague advice, but instead he said, "up."

* * *

The madness of the blood.

Setsumi leaned her head against the door of the small room, taking a deep, calming breath. She should have known it would come to this.

Her training with Inuyasha had went surprisingly well. They met outside for a good sparring match every day, and not once had the boy lost control of his emotions. There were a few times when she saw it, the fire in his eyes which gave away his irritation, but the coldness came back immediately afterward and covered it up.

The coldness of someone who felt close to nothing. He pulled it off so well, and so young, too; she herself had needed years to master it.

Of course, she hadn't had the help of a shard of the Shikon no Tama.

' _Help'_. Setsumi mentally scoffed. _If you can call that accursed jewel any help._

Oh, she knew she was taking advantage of the thing, but Setsumi was a realist. The shard gave you strength and a cool demeanor, but it always came with a price. Most demons payed it with their lives, having become reckless in their fearlessness; half-demons, it seemed, payed with their minds.

Her husband's blood was very strong, and Inuyasha had been subjected to it for far too long. The jewel kept it close to the surface at all times, making him smell and look like a full demon, but it was an illusion. There was still something human about his body, about his nature, and Lord Toga's blood was too strong for him to handle it.

 _Damn_ , Setsumi thought, banging her fists against the door at her back in a rare show of irritation. She accidentally released her power, making a sheen layer of ice cover the wooden surface.

Three days back, Inuyasha had woken up with his eyes red. She hadn't seen those icy-blue pupils since his complete transformation, and she was taken aback by how savage he looked (even with the armor and the mane of white hair styled into a ponytail).

"Good morning, boy," she'd said when he showed up at the courtyard, but her tone wasn't playful or scornful; just slightly apprehensive.

He hadn't answered. Inuyasha just kept looking at her, looking at her and _seeing_ her. His fingers were twitching, but otherwise he made no move. Setsumi felt the strange urge to lower her head, but it was a ludicrous feeling; she would never. She hadn't bowed to anyone in so long; not since—

She lost her train of thought when he pounced, pinning her to the ground with a feral snarl. The thirst for blood was there in his eyes, but his eyebrows were furrowed, showing his inner fight not to slit her throat then and there.

Setsumi was way stronger than he, though. She wasn't scared, only surprised.

"Leave me alone," he rasped, "or you'll regret it."

She let him go, feeling strangely detached from the situation. Setsumi was a very old demoness, although her appearance didn't show it. She was not an expert in the workings of the Shikon no Tama, and she certainly was no expert in half-demons, but she thought she could guess what was happening to Inuyasha.

He kept to himself for the two subsequent days, but she found his tracks, so to speak, in her throne: pieces of the Tangram puzzle forming a bird. She was oddly relieved for it; it showed that even if he were incapable of speech, at least his mind was still functional.

Luckily for her, Setsumi had just what she needed to revert this situation.

 _If there ever comes a time when my second son needs it_ , Lord Toga had told her, _make sure he gets my Tetsusaiga. It won't do Sesshomaru any good._

 _Are you denying our son what is his by right?_ Setsumi had asked calmly, refusing to show him her exasperation. She and Toga were still good friends before he died, even though their marriage had unofficially ended years before.

 _He will get the West, the castle, the subjects, and Tenseiga. I find it quite sufficient._

 _But why would a half-demon need a sword like Tetsusaiga? What use would he have for it?_

Lord Toga had looked deeply into her eyes, willing her to understand. As strong-willed as Setsumi was, she was never able to deny him anything. _I'll put a seal in it. My blood is too strong, and it may overcome the boy. If his life is ever in danger, my blood will take over to protect him, and it might not get back under control._

She had had to freeze the sword's scabbard to be able to touch it, since Toga had taken precautions against their son's greedy nature and made Tetsusaiga untouchable to any demons. It was kept in this room she was now standing in, locked away from the prying eyes of curious servants.

Setsumi never thought she'd need to give it to Inuyasha. It was to her knowledge that the boy led a simple, boring life in a small village far away from the West. Why would a peasant boy ever be in danger enough for his demon blood to awaken?

It was certainly awake now. The jewel's evil disposition had done it.

 _But here's my dilema_ , Setsumi thought, stepping away from the door. _If I give him the sword, it will subdue his demonic side, but it is also likely to snap him out of the jewel's influence._

The frozen Tetsusaiga was hanging on the wall in front of her. She could feel its power humming beneath the ice, could vividly remember the fleeting pain of touching it before letting her power envelop it.

 _He will want to go home._

Setsumi remembered Inuyasha's Tangram bird on her throne.

 _He will want his Kagome._

Could she deny Toga's son his sanity just to keep him there? To save a bloodline bound to doom anyway?

 _Ryukotsusei has come to know the location of this castle_ , she remembered Toga's baritone voice saying. _I'll be leaving now to kill him._

 _What about your human woman? Isn't she in labor as we speak?_ Setsumi had asked. She wasn't jealous of Lady Izayoi; the Snow Queen had had her share of lovers as well, but she hadn't been dumb enough to get pregnant.

 _I cannot let him attack this house_ , Toga had said. With one last, long look in her direction, he turned around to leave. _I trust you with the Tetsusaiga, Setsumi, as I have with everything else._

Back then, The Inu no Taisho didn't even live in the floating castle anymore, favoring a wandering life instead. He fought the dragon Ryukotsusei to protect the legacy of the dog demons, protect their son's inheritance—protect her, the elusive queen who still lived there. After having defeated their enemy, he ran to Izayoi's estate only to find out that the human staff had rebelled against their lady and her half-demon newborn.

He was already injured from his fight against the dragon. It had been too much.

He died trying to be a good father to both his sons.

 _I'm sorry, Toga_ , Setsumi thought regretfully. She exited the room to search Inuyasha out, leaving the sword—his possible salvation—where it was. _I can't let your youngest go._

 _Unfortunately, fate has deemed him our last hope._

* * *

The fields passed by in a green blur, but Kagome's mind hadn't been this clearer in awhile.

She had woken up in Master Totosai's cave that morning feeling amazingly calm. Even though his suggestion of simply asking Setsumi to take the shard out of Inuyasha was naive at best, Kagome didn't have any other plan. She hadn't really thought about what she'd do once she found out where Inuyasha was.

 _It can't be very different from what I would have ended up doing, anyway_ , she thought wryly.

Kirara flew only a few centimeters above the ground, sparing her strength for the difficult ascent to the castle. Totosai had warned Kagome that it was very high; possibly higher than Kirara had ever had a need to fly.

Kagome patted her neck lovingly. "If it all goes well, you'll get rid of me soon enough," she joked. The cat huffed above the noise of the wind.

Looking at the dirt road ahead, Kagome wondered, not for the first time, what must the Snow Queen be like. Would she be evil? Would she be kind?

She thought of Kikyo, the Robber Girl. _People aren't only one thing_ …

But the idea of having to beg for Inuyasha's freedom to a woman who had never taken an interest in his life (and frankly, who sounded like a snob) made her stomach twist in unpleasant knots. The girl wanted him to give one look at her face and turn his back on this newfound stepmother of his.

In her fantasy, Kagome would smirk at an old, ugly lady as she took his hand and led him away.

 _Can't hurt to dream, even if it's a little petty._

She had thought about a million ways to phrase her request, but had eventually given up. Rehearsing what she'd say never did her any good. Kagome didn't have any idea how the Snow Queen would react to her presence, so making a script was fruitless.

 _I'll be completely at her mercy, for better or worse._

The dirt road beneath Kirara's paws was starting to fade, and the trees were starting to space out. Totosai had given Kagome a few specifics about the place where they'd have to start going up.

 _It's an open field_ , he'd said. _You won't see any trees or rocks there._

 _It's big. You'll know it when you see it._

Kagome found it clever of the dog demons; if she were an enemy, she'd expect something to mark the place. Nothing could be more unassuming than a plain field of grass.

For what felt like two hours later, they found themselves in it.

Kirara stopped.

Kagome looked around at the expanse of greenery, thinking about Totosai's parting words to her.

 _Convincing your friend that_ _he_ _has to get rid of the jewel shard might be even harder than convincing Lady Setsumi_.

She lifted her head to gaze at the clouds above. The wind seemed to pick up and shift.

Kagome inhaled. "Let's go, Kirara," she urged quietly.

 _But if your familiar face doesn't do it, girl, nothing will._

With an impulse from Kirara's forepaws, up they went.

* * *

 **A/N:** Totosai's equivalents in the fairytale are the Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman. I wanted him to be like those old spiritual guides who show up to tell you what you need to do, but don't do anything themselves. The world's full of them, really, lol.

Don't judge Setsumi too harshly; I told you there aren't any villains per se in this story. She's a woman alone with a legacy on her shoulders...

There _will_ be inukag on the next chapter, you can be sure of that. ;)

Please, guys, review! You haven't the faintest idea how your words motivate me (even a single one). Thank you for reading!


	10. Reunion

**ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ**

 **Reunion**

 _But he sat still, stiff and cold; then little Gerda wept hot tears, which fell upon his breast._

* * *

Kirara was losing her breath. The exertion of flying so high, higher than she probably ever had to, was taking its toll on Kagome's faithful traveling companion.

"Just a little higher, Kirara, a little higher," she mumbled like a prayer, trying to cover her burning eyes with her hand. The wind was so cold that the girl couldn't feel her face anymore.

 _I did not travel this far to lose now_ , she thought determinedly. Kagome leaned closer to Kirara's neck, trying to make it easier for her to cut through the wind.

They suddenly entered the white clouds and couldn't see anything else. For a brief moment, Kagome was scared of being attacked right then and there by something or someone trying to protect the castle, but she reasoned with herself that Totosai didn't seem like he would send them to their deaths.

 _He said this place is impossible to find unless you know what you're looking for. Would it need defences?_ _People don't know it exists anymore…_

Even so, she only relaxed when they reemerged.

Kagome wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her.

A long set of stone stairs ended on a terrace far above. She could see guards standing on each level leading to the terrace, spears in hand and eyes undoubtedly on her. To Kagome's despair, a few of them put arrow to bow, but she reigned in her panic when they didn't do anything else.

Kirara landed softly on a narrow platform where the stairs began. Kagome patted the cat's head and climbed down shakily, not daring to look behind her at the expanse of sky.

 _We're on a floating castle. My God, we're on a floating castle._

"State your business!" One of the guards on the first floor shouted to her. Kagome noticed he didn't seem worried about her presence.

 _Well, why would he be?_ She thought wryly. Kagome could only imagine how ragged and tired she looked.

"I-I'm here to talk to Lady Setsumi!" She yelled back.

"And what is your name?"

Kagome hesitated, afraid that the Snow Queen somehow knew who she was. _What if she sends me away?_ Sighing, she realized she didn't have a choice; no demon queen would agree to meet with 'anonymous human peasant', after all.

"Kagome," she said firmly.

The guard turned to his companion and whispered something; with a nod, the other man walked away. Kagome understood then that the castle was actually well protected in its own unusual way: one word from the queen, and the intruder would be shot into the void.

The girl kneeled to Kirara's level, took off the red scarf Sango had given her and put it around the cat demon's neck.

"If the sun sets and I don't come back to meet you here, take this to Princess Sango." Kagome swallowed. "She'll contact my family and let them know—" _I'm dead._ The girl fell silent, unable to finish the sentence.

Kirara mewed in agitation, and Kagome instinctively understood the nekomata wanted to go upstairs with her. "No, Kirara." She sighed, patting the cat's neck soothingly. "If anything happens, I'll need someone to send them the news. I can't let them wait forever," she said quietly.

The cat huffed, but nodded.

"You may go see her!" The guard that had spoken to her shouted again. Kagome saw his companion was back beside him.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped away from Kirara and started climbing.

* * *

Looking back on the moment she arrived at that terrace, Kagome would be able to swear her heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

She vaguely assimilated that there was a long horizontal throne with a white-haired woman sitting on it. A whisper of rationality reminded her she should have been scared, but the whisper was silenced by waves of uncontrollable emotion.

All her senses were trained on Inuyasha, her favorite person, childhood playmate and best friend—hunched down only a few feet away. His position was so familiar to her, as were his hair and clothes, that she couldn't see anything wrong with him at first. Her mind was blissfully empty of all but the utter happiness of finally having found him, found him _alive!_

Kagome started jogging.

Halfway there, she noticed there were jagged purple stripes on his cheeks, and that the eyes that regarded her weren't amber; they were icy blue, surrounded by _red_. Getting even closer, she realized his hands and feet were stuck to the ground under layers of ice.

When she launched herself at the half-demon, the girl was breathless. She didn't pay any mind to the warning growl that escaped his throat, nor the narrowing of his unfamiliar eyes—no, none of that was important. Kagome was too busy cupping his face in her hands, feeling his skin under her fingertips and trying her hardest not to start bawling.

"Inuyasha! I-Inuyasha!"

What more could she say? There were no words.

She felt her eyes pricking. He snapped his jaw at her, forcing her to retract her hands—but she didn't move away. She wouldn't move away from him ever again if she had any say in it.

"It's m-me, Inuyasha!" She said urgently, her brown eyes begging him to _see_ her.

"He doesn't know who you are," a bored female voice said. "He might not even know who he is anymore."

Kagome turned her head to the side to be able to see past Inuyasha's white mane. She furrowed her brows upon meeting the woman's gaze.

"I would ask how you got here, girl, but I doubt you'd tell me."

Kagome slowly stood up, taking in the Snow Queen's rich indigo kimono, her fur mantle and her cold golden eyes.

"What happened to him?" She asked, trying to control the blatant aggressiveness in her voice. She didn't step away from Inuyasha, who was left staring at her middle—still growling.

"He lost himself to the power of the Shikon no Tama," Lady Setsumi said, standing up from her throne and stepping a little closer. "Do you know what that is?"

"Yes," Kagome answered promptly, satisfied to see the demoness raise her eyebrows. "I'm here to ask you to free him from it—and from yourself."

The girl distantly wondered why she sounded so brave and confident; she certainly didn't feel it. Kagome put one hand on Inuyasha's shoulder for moral support.

He left it there for a second before trying to bite her fingers off.

The tears were back, making the Snow Queen seem like a white and purple blur in front of her. Kagome blinked them away, clenching her jaw.

"Will you not ask me why I brought him here?" Setsumi's voice sounded a little softer, maybe even a little motherly.

It occurred to Kagome that the Snow Queen might pity her, but she wasn't sure how to feel about it, so she dismissed the notion.

 _Do I want to know why she brought him here?_ The girl mused. _Is there anything she could say to justify her actions? Is there anything that could make her look better in my eyes?_ Kagome looked down at Inuyasha's head, noticing how uncharacteristically stiff his ears were. _Is there anything that would make me hate her less?_

"I don't care," Kagome blurted. "I don't care why you kidnapped him. I don't even want to know how he got the shard in the first place—just undo it." She bit the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes. "Please _._ "

Inuyasha was getting agitated, sniffing the air and trying to free himself from the unusually strong ice. She couldn't stand to see him like that, bound to the ground as if he were a mindless beast. Rage made Kagome's blood boil—it was unlike anything she'd ever felt.

Lady Setsumi smirked.

Sweet, innocent Kagome saw herself pushing the woman from the floating castle—and she wanted to do it _so badly_.

"I thought humans were curious creatures," the Snow Queen remarked. "I thought 'why' was your favorite question word."

If Kagome's nails weren't blunt, she'd have digged holes in her palms. "I'm curious to know if you'll help him." Even though she was trying to keep her courageous façade on, the girl's shoulders slumped. "I wanna take him home."

Setsumi's expression grew pensive. She lifted one delicate white eyebrow.

Without warning, the Snow Queen turned around and walked past her throne to the short set of wooden stairs that led to the sliding doors.

"W-Where are you going?"

The door closed in her wake with a soft thud, leaving Kagome alone with Inuyasha.

Kneeling in front of him again, the anxious girl touched his face. There was no recognition in his eyes, but his brows were furrowed.

"You know me," she said, offering him a small smile. "You've known me all your life."

Kagome traced his thick brows with her fingertips. Inuyasha grunted, but the sound came out a little soft. His icy blue pupils were boring into her; it made her shudder to realize he wasn't blinking. Noticing his tangled mass of hair, she sighed.

"You used to let me comb your hair when we were younger." She held a strand, twining it between two fingers. One of his ears twitched. "You got too dignified for that, I guess."

He huffed.

Kagome's eyes snapped up to his at the sound, desperately searching for a sign of emotion. He tugged impatiently at his bound hands, snapping his jaw at the girl again and missing her neck by a hairsbreadth.

It was the last straw.

Kagome grabbed his forelocks and made him look her in the eye.

"STOP!" She yelled, her face contorting from the want to cry. "You would never hurt me—don't you _know_ that? Did you really forget _every_ thing?"

He was even more agitated by her words; judging from his expression, he seemed to be in deep pain. The thought made her chest hurt.

"You once made me promise I would bring you back if you ever went crazy," Kagome said, losing the fight against her tears. It was all too much. "Y-You made me p-promise! I did all I could—I'm still doing it. I could n-never give up on you, Inuyasha, so—" she took a deep breath to calm herself, but it was too late for that. Throwing her arms around his neck, she held him tight, his arms stuck between them. "So please, _p-please_ don't give up on me, Inuyasha. Not now, not now that I have you back!"

 _Not ever_ , she silently wished. _Come back to me, please, just come back—I can't do this anymore—I'm so tired—_

"Don't cry."

She leaned back with a start.

His cheeks were still marked by jagged stripes and his eyes were still red, but the pupils were golden now. The red was dissipating under her expectant gaze; his face went from stoic to soft.

He tried to smile, he really did.

She made a strangled sound, cupping his face in her hands and bringing their foreheads together.

"Is it really you, Kagome?" He asked in a roughened voice, so different yet familiar at the same time. "Are you really here?"

"Y-Yes, Inuyasha!"

She held him and he lay his head on her shoulder—it was the only way he could reciprocate the gesture. His earthy smell surrounded her, making her feel complete in a way she hadn't for almost two seasons.

Someone cleared their throat.

Kagome looked up to see Setsumi standing there, closer than she had been before. It didn't surprise the girl that she hadn't heard the woman approaching, but she was startled nonetheless.

Setsumi was holding something long and frozen in her hands.

"You were able to bring him back without the sword, but it won't last," she stated. "His father's blood is too strong for a half-demon to handle."

Kagome frowned at the implication that Inuyasha was weak. The girl wanted nothing more than to punch the purple moon on Lady Setsumi's forehead until it was faint.

Inuyasha turned his face to the side to glare at Setsumi, too, but he didn't seem particularly angry with her—just annoyed.

"He only has moments of rationality," the woman resumed, ignoring Inuyasha's growl. "He was so violent I had to restrain him—he could have hurt himself otherwise. That won't be necessary if he has the sword."

Kagome got up with an anxious expression on her face. "So you-you'll help?"

"Keh." Inuyasha was smiling without humor. "Don't trust anything she says," he rasped, sounding very tired. "She wants me to stay. There's no other heir to this shithole." He let his head fall against his chest, breathing raggedly.

Looking from Inuyasha to his stepmother, Kagome clenched her fists.

"You brought him here because there's no one else to inherit your castle? Are you serious?" She spat. "Where were you when he was being humiliated, isolated and unjustly feared?" The girl was shaking; she could feel her blood boiling. "Where the _hell_ were you when Lady Izayoi _died?_ "

"Watch your tone," Setsumi said quietly—much too quietly. Kagome shivered involuntarily, but managed to hold her ground. "I don't owe you an explanation."

Kagome stared at her with disgust.

"Inuyasha's father told me to give him this sword if he ever succumbed to the madness of the blood." Setsumi extended her arms. "I knew Inuyasha would want to go back to you as soon as it did its job, so I kept it to myself, but seeing as you are conveniently here…" She paused. "The sword has a spinning dial on its scabbard, right above the handle." One white long finger touched the frozen surface to show where it was. "I will defrost it and toss it to you, girl. Spin the dial until you find the password—I don't know what it is."

Kagome frowned. She didn't understand why Setsumi didn't seem to want to touch the sword, but there were other pressing thoughts demanding her attention.

 _Why isn't she worried we'll leave as soon as Inuyasha is himself again?_ Kagome wondered.

She tore her eyes away from the sword to look at Inuyasha. He lifted his head slowly; they locked gazes. The white in his eyes was pinkish, slowly reddening again.

"Go home, Kagome," he said in that strange voice. "Go home while you still can, or she'll keep you here." He snorted. "She'll keep you here so I won't leave. Either way, I fucking stay—as a demon or not."

"I'd rather have a _sane_ heir, of course," Setsumi interjected.

"I don't care what you want," he spat. "Leave Kagome OUT of your damn ploys!"

Inuyasha was shaking.

The Snow Queen's eyes seemed to shine. "What happened to your frozen heart, boy?"

The half-demon didn't answer. He kept staring at Kagome. Setsumi chuckled; to her, that seemed to be answer enough.

"Like father, like son."

Inuyasha was silently fuming, Kagome could tell.

"If this sword can help you, Inuyasha, I'll open it," the girl declared. "And don't worry about us staying here—we won't." She looked at Setsumi and lifted her chin. "We'll escape, even if it's the last thing we do."

The Snow Queen smiled satisfactorily. The ice enveloping the sword started to melt, wetting the floor.

"Don't be stupid, Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled. "Just _go_ already—I bet your mom doesn't know where you are!"

" _Not_ without you!"

"Catch."

Kagome managed to grab the sword before it hit her face. Holding it tightly against her chest, she kneeled in front of Inuyasha again. He stubbornly turned his face away.

Setsumi went back to her throne and sat down, resting her chin on one hand. She seemed to be scrutinizing the sky and sniffing discreetly.

"This could be a trap," Inuyasha mumbled. "She didn't wanna touch it."

His eyes were almost completely red.

"No… She wants you sane and she wants you here." Kagome touched the tip of her finger to the black wooden spinning dial, feeling the engraved kanji it currently displayed. "It's a good thing I don't have to know how to read to find the password…"

Inuyasha sighed, looking back at her. "I don't know how you got here, but you shouldn't have come."

Kagome winced at his words. Little could have hurt her more.

"How-How can you say that?" She stuttered. "If I disappeared during a blizzard, wouldn't you have searched for me? Wouldn't you have tried anything in your power to find me again?"

"You know I would," he muttered.

"Well, that's it, then!" She rolled her eyes. "Let's open this sword and see what it does to help you. Then, let's make this so-called _Snow Queen_ release us—and go _home!_ "

Inuyasha was looking at her in awed silence, his eyes completely red with golden pupils. Before she lost her nerve, Kagome leaned forward and pecked his cheek, blushing profusely.

She tried to ignore Setsumi's distant snort.

"I wanna go home with you, too," he blurted. "I've wanted to go back since I got here—I just want you to know that, in case I can't say it later."

 _In case this doesn't work and he loses his mind permanently._

"I knew you weren't yourself then," Kagome smiled, trying to make him stop talking so she wouldn't start crying again. "Let's get this over with, alright?"

The girl turned the spinning dial once.

Before Kagome could do it again, Setsumi jumped up from her throne without warning. She was staring at something behind them.

The girl turned her head.

Standing there at the end of the staircase was another white-haired, golden-eyed demon. He also had a purple moon on his forehead, though the twin magenta stripes on his cheeks were different from Setsumi's. He wore a spiked armor and a strange fur pelt over his shoulder.

The strangest thing he had on him, though, was an unconscious human girl in his arms.

"Hello, Mother."

"Sesshomaru."

The demon walked gracefully to her, sparing Kagome and Inuyasha only a fleeting glance, as if they weren't worthy of acknowledgement. He stopped in front of Setsumi before walking to the side and depositing the sleeping girl on the throne.

"Tenseiga isn't working," his baritone voice intoned. "Explain."

Setsumi seemed slightly taken aback. Inuyasha's face was turned to the side so he could look at the newcomer, his eyes wide and unblinking.

 _I thought she said Inuyasha was the only heir_ , Kagome thought. _Was she lying? Why?_

 _So much for not wanting to hear her explanations…_

"Is this what you have to say to your mother after all this time, son?" Setsumi stiffened her back. "I thought you were dead."

"You did not." He tore his eyes away from the little girl to look at the Snow Queen. "You knew I was alive, otherwise you wouldn't have brought the half-demon here."

Setsumi didn't react to his statement in any way Kagome could tell. Both mother and son were the true image of stoicism, standing there facing each other.

Sesshomaru smiled. It was a small, cold gesture. "You brought him here to lure me back to this castle. You thought I wouldn't allow someone like him to be the heir, even though I didn't want to be it myself."

Inuyasha's ears twitched and he growled low. Kagome knew the only reason he didn't interrupt them was because he was interested in the conversation. It wasn't like him to keep quiet after hearing he was probably used as bait.

"Did I, now?" Setsumi sighed. "And how could I have been sure that the news of his presence here would reach you, may I ask?"

"You know I make it my business to be well informed at all times, Mother," Sesshomaru stated. "And the lowlives who serve you are prone to gossip, in spite of what you may think." He looked at Inuyasha and Kagome. "I wonder what you will do next…"

"Well, you _are_ here, aren't you?" Setsumi smiled. "If I planned to lure you, I unquestionably succeeded."

"I did not come back to stay," Sesshomaru said, regarding his mother once more. "I still have no desire to be stuck in this castle indefinitely, like you." He lowered his head to the unconscious little girl. "I am here to ask why Tenseiga isn't working."

Kagome was trying to follow the conversation, but she knew it was no use; there was too much she didn't know. Inuyasha was giving signs of being in pain again, so she decided to worry about him instead.

"Inuyasha," she called in a whisper.

"As I recall, you used to despise humans," Setsumi commented, lifting one eyebrow. "And yet here you are with a human child in your company."

Sesshomaru didn't reply.

She huffed. "Have you already used Tenseiga to revive her once?"

The demon lord frowned slightly at her question.

"Sesshomaru, have you come to believe you're a god, perhaps?" Setsumi clicked her tongue. "Tenseiga can only call a person back from the dead once."

 _Call back from the dead?_ Kagome tightened her hold on the sword she held. If Sesshomaru's sword could revive people, she didn't doubt this one was truly powerful, too.

 _It can help us, I know it can!_

"Kagome," Inuyasha rasped. "This won't end well—I just know it." His breathing came out ragged. "Go away."

"I won't leave you. Don't make me say it again!"

Sesshomaru and Setsumi still stared at one another.

"This will be her last chance," the Snow Queen warned suddenly. "Life isn't limitless, son." She fingered the pearl necklace on her neck, which had a round golden pendant with a purple stone. "Now, to show your kind mother your gratitude, you could take your place as rightful heir and stop this mindless search for power you do not need."

Sesshomaru's features hardened. He looked from the dead child to his mother, his mind apparently racing.

Kagome felt sickened by the Snow Queen, using a girl's life for bargain.

"She won't need me anymore," Inuyasha murmured to Kagome. His pupils were turning blue. "You're not safe, Kagome—call whoever brought you here and _go!_ "

Kagome resumed spinning the dial, her sweaty fingers sliding over it. She wanted them to have some defense, _any_ defense, just in case…

Mother and son seemed to have reached a silent agreement. Sesshomaru abruptly turned away from Setsumi, his expression clouded by a silent kind of rage, and started walking toward Inuyasha and Kagome.

Under the morning sun, the white silk of his clothes shone like his hair; a beautiful sight, but it didn't deceive Kagome—ethereal as he might seem, he was lethal, she knew.

The demon silently stood behind Inuyasha, looking down at Kagome's panicked face.

Inuyasha tugged at his hands again, and the ice finally started to crack. He regarded her urgently through those red eyes, still willing her to move away and save herself.

"The rumor is true, I see," Sesshomaru said quietly. "Where is the jewel shard?"

"I think it might be in his chest," Setsumi guessed. The demoness had the look of a winner on her face, and Kagome thought she would have given anything to erase it—permanently. "I've seen him put his hand over it many times."

Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles. "There's only one way to be sure."

Kagome spun the dial again.

Several things happened at once. The scabbard clicked open when she found the password; Inuyasha managed to free his hands from the ice; and Sesshomaru leaned down, brutally thrusting _his_ hand through Inuyasha's back.

The gurgling sound, followed by a snapping one, made her taste bile in her mouth.

"INUYASHA!" She screamed, and the sword hummed as she let go of it.

Inuyasha exhaled. "Kagome…"

* * *

 **A/N:** So, Inuyasha and Kagome are FINALLY reunited! I tried to give you some much needed inukag fluff... Did I succeed? :3

I think the reader can decide if Setsumi were just using Inuyasha as bait all along or not. I still have some explaining to do, but I like her character a little ambiguous. I hope that's okay with you!

This story is almost over, guys. Review and tell me your thoughts, _pretty please._ Thanks for reading, see you next time!

Ps: If you know the fairytale, you already know the password. ;)


	11. Parting Ways

**ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ**

 **Parting Ways**

 _And they took each other by the hand and went forth from the great castle._

* * *

Sesshomaru stared at the black jewel shard in his hand and grunted. He would never understand why demons still sought the damned things; they were obviously much more trouble than they were worth.

After so many decades, his father's mistake _still_ plagued the land.

The human girl was screaming, holding the half-demon's upper body to her chest and cradling his head on her shoulder. The sword—his father's powerful fang—lay forgotten beside her. Sesshomaru turned his head and found his mother standing a few feet behind. Setsumi's eyes went from the shard in his hand to the passed out boy, a wrinkle showing between her brows.

 _Is it possible that she is worried?_ Sesshomaru mused with something akin to humor. _After she brought him here, knowing Father would not have wished it?_

He felt like laughing.

 _Sesshomaru_ , he recalled his father saying. _Do you have something to protect?_

He could understand why Lord Toga hadn't wanted Inuyasha to have anything to do with this castle. Sesshomaru always knew, even though he'd stated the contrary, that the Inu no Taisho hadn't hid his second son out of shame. The life of a general had brought his father nothing but pain; the white dogs had been vanishing after too many fights among themselves and others, and the boy—a half-breed—would have been easily hunted and killed. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing in Sesshomaru's opinion, but he respected his father's will.

Now that he had Rin, he understood things way better. Would he have left her to such a predicament, or would he have wanted her to live a peaceful life?

Sesshomaru knew the answer to that, which made him want to rip open his mother's throat for bringing Inuyasha there.

 _Has she done it to lure me back?_ He wondered for the hundredth time since his arrival. _Or would she have truly given her precious throne to a half-demon?_ Sesshomaru knew he might never know the answer, just as he might never know his mother.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the Tetsusaiga suddenly transformed in a flash of light. His weakened half-brother had managed to close his fingers around its handle.

The boy turned from the girl's embrace, blindly swinging the sword at him. He still couldn't stand up, but Sesshomaru saw the determination in his tired eyes, the will to protect.

Straightening, the demon lord easily stepped out of range. His hand was still dripping with the boy's blood, and he refused to enter a fight with his opponent in such a state. Truthfully, he had no desire to battle the half-demon at all.

Sesshomaru's eyes fell upon the scabbard lying beside the girl's folded leg. The spinning dial displayed the password, and the kanji he read there made his blood boil.

Many words could have been expected from his father: 'protection', 'strength', 'affection', and maybe even 'love'...

But no. No, the word his father had chosen just _had_ to be the only thing he hadn't been able to give him.

'Eternity'.

Was this the Inu no Taisho's promise to Inuyasha? It was an empty promise, at best.

Inuyasha's shaking legs managed to support him. He stood in front of the human girl with both his hands holding the sword, pointing it at Sesshomaru's chest. His shoulders were slumped and he looked like he'd fall at any second, but his eyes were still burning holes in Sesshomaru's face. The blade hummed a warning—it would protect the boy.

Father was protecting him from his very grave. He would do so forever through the Tetsusaiga.

He would do so for eternity.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

"Stay… back… you… bastard!" The boy managed to say between ragged breaths.

Sesshomaru snapped his fingers in warning; couldn't the stupid child see he meant him no harm? Didn't he know the hole in his back would heal soon enough? Had he led such a peaceful life that he didn't know what his blood could do?

"You have no reason to further hurt the boy, Sesshomaru." Setsumi huffed. "Let them be."

He turned his head sideways, giving his mother a blank look. Were they _all_ stupid? Even this snake of a woman, who managed to always, _always_ turn things around in her favor?

"I will not, if he doesn't act like a fool," Sesshomaru said slowly so everyone would understand.

Inuyasha's trembling arms suddenly gave in. Turning his wrists, he managed to drop the sword diagonally in front of his body, driving it into the ground (and breaking a few tiles, Sesshomaru noticed with annoyance). He still held the handle, making it look as if the Tetsusaiga were a shield. His golden eyes were closed; it seemed his strength had finally ended.

Suddenly, every hair on Sesshomaru's body stood on end. The air seemed charged with electricity. Even the human girl, still kneeling behind his brother, couldn't help but shiver.

Anyone who tried to hurt them would die. The sword would make sure of it—the sword his father had denied him.

The girl was frowning at Inuyasha's back. She abruptly got up and ran for the stairs, pumping her legs as fast as her human nature would allow it. For a moment, Sesshomaru thought she was running away, but she merely stopped at the end of the stairs and whistled.

He looked back at his mother, then at Rin's sleeping—dead—form lying on the throne. He would never forgive himself if he couldn't bring her back to life. Sesshomaru was losing precious time with these people.

A nekomata came flying from downstairs to meet the peasant girl. She mounted it with no hesitation, guiding the cat demon back to where Inuyasha stood.

"We're leaving this place," she declared, looking from Sesshomaru to his mother with hate in her eyes. No human, male or female, had ever looked at him like that. "If you follow us, I'll make you regret it." She paused, her eyebrows lowering. "I don't care if I die doing it, I _will_ keep you away from him."

Setsumi gave her a little smirk, apparently amused. Sesshomaru just blinked at the girl as she dismounted the cat to retrieve the sword scabbard.

He thought she was mentally unstable.

"Inuyasha," she called, touching his face with one hand. His eyes opened a slit. "I need you to climb on Kirara," she instructed. "We're going home—now."

The sword transformed back into its rusty self. Inuyasha's step faltered, but the girl held him by the waist and turned to nod at the nekomata, who maneuvered him into its back. Without so much as sparing them a second glance, she climbed on behind Inuyasha, supporting his back even though he was bigger.

The boy looked sideways at Setsumi with a frown on his pale, sweaty face.

"So, you and I part here." Setsumi sighed. Her cold eyes roamed his face. "Goodbye, Inuyasha."

The foolish child seemed to be looking for something to say.

 _Your rage and confusion do not matter_ , Sesshomaru thought. _She only ever cared about one person, and not even enough to respect his wishes._

"Let's go, Kirara," the human girl ordered, acting as blunt as the Snow Queen had.

They flew away, their white and black locks whipping in the wind, leaving Sesshomaru alone with his mother at last.

He turned to face her, tightening his fisted hand which held the Shikon shard. "Revive Rin."

"Will you stay, then?" Setsumi probed, her golden eyes narrowing.

 _You won this battle, Mother, but not the war_ , he thought. _Our game continues until I best you again._ To her, though, he only nodded curtly.

As she put her pearl necklace around Rin's neck, Sesshomaru couldn't help but taunt her.

"Would you have married him, Mother?" He sneered. Setsumi's head snapped up. "He does look like Father, and there are no other white dogs... Or is it that you just wanted to buy this accursed dynasty a few more years with his life?"

"Watch it, son." She regarded him with wide, angry eyes. He revelled in such an honest response, at least for once. "I hate vulgarity."

The purple stone in the necklace shone, distracting her. Setsumi quickly put her impassive mask back into place.

"I would have married him off to a demoness with no animal blood." She tsked. "I _did_ have a candidate in mind, but she would have to be… persuaded." Setsumi smiled. If Sesshomaru were still a child, it would have sent shivers down his spine. "Now that _you_ are my heir again, she might be more willing, though. She's a wind sorceress."

Sesshomaru felt like spitting. A demoness with no animal blood… His mother did think of everything.

Before he could reply, Rin coughed and opened her brown eyes. Uncaring of his mother's presence, Sesshomaru leaned over her and touched her face.

"Lord Sesshomaru," the child murmured, offering him a tired smile. She placed her warm hand over his, and he had to suppress his urge to smile back.

Rin had come into his life without his wanting it, but he was responsible for her now.

"Where are we, my Lord?" She asked, struggling to sit. He put his hand on the small of her back to assist her.

"In Lord Sesshomaru's castle," the Snow Queen said before he could utter a word. The queen smiled at the child. "I am his mother." She briefly looked at Sesshomaru, satisfaction shining in her eyes. "You both will live with me now."

"Oh!" The girl blinked a few times at the queen. "Nice to meet you, my Lady." Rin smiled, unaware of the tension between mother and son.

Setsumi leaned down and gently lifted the necklace from the child's neck, putting it back on herself.

"And how did such a pretty little human thing like you die?" The Snow Queen asked sweetly.

"I opened a path to hell," Sesshomaru supplied. "I sought to straighten the Tenseiga. The guardian on the other side… caught Rin."

 _And it wasn't worth it_ , Sesshomaru mentally added. Although his freedom was a small price to pay for Rin's life, accidentally fulfilling his mother's plan wounded his pride.

He had been experimenting with the Meidou Zangetsuha, the technique of the dark portals. Sesshomaru had opened a meidou to hell, convinced that going inside it would help him better understand the nature of the sword his father had left him.

"That was good thinking," Setsumi conceded. "There's no better way to strengthen a sword that brings people back from the dead than going to the realm of the dead." She paused. "So, that's why they said you died…"

"It could have been because of the fight with Ryukotsusei's descendant before that," Sesshomaru said nonchalantly. "That dragon was a nuisance."

In fact, he'd almost died by killing that demon. Rin had been the only one to approach him during his recovery, coming into the forest every day and trying to give him food. When he'd found her dead on the dirt road a few days later, all bitten by wolves, something had stirred within him… he brought her back to life, and she followed him ever since.

"Well, enough of this gloomy subject," Setsumi stated, putting a comforting hand on Rin's shoulder. "Why don't you follow me, my dear? I'll show you to your new room."

Rin hesitated, turning her inquisitive gaze to Sesshomaru. He nodded once, assuring her that it was safe to follow the Snow Queen.

His mother had the gall to wink at him before taking Rin inside, leaving Sesshomaru alone in the courtyard. Staring at the throne he never wanted to sit on, he was overcome with rage once again.

He would absolutely never admit it out loud, but Sesshomaru would have come for his half-brother sooner or later. He would rather be eaten by demon birds than let his mother know it, but he would have come… Not for the throne, though, as she suspected. Not for righteous indignation, nor pride, nor for wanting to prevent a half-breed from inheriting what was left of the white dogs…

He would have come simply out of respect for his father's memory. The former Dog General would never have wanted his second son to be there—under the influence of a shard from the jewel he'd broken himself, no less.

It was all so ironic.

With a swipe of his arm, Sesshomaru tossed the frozen pieces of the Snow Queen's Tangram puzzle to the ground. One day, he would burn this castle down… But not without taking his mother out of it first, he admitted to himself.

Sesshomaru rubbed his temple, stifling a sigh. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of the black Shikon shard, lying on the ground along with the Tangram pieces.

He forgot he'd been holding it. Bending down to retrieve it, Sesshomaru thought the least his mother could do was freeze the damned thing.

He wondered if the world would end should she do more than one good deed in a row.

* * *

Kagome felt Inuyasha trembling where his back touched her front. She couldn't check his injury right there, flying so high above the ground.

"Lie back against me, Inuyasha," she urged, stopping herself from squeezing his middle in her worried state. "You're shaking!"

"Tch. This ain't no-nothing."

She almost didn't hear his reply over the roaring wind.

"Please, you need to rest!"

With a sigh, Inuyasha scooted a little farther, toward Kirara's neck. Before Kagome could protest, he leaned back against her, resting the nape of his neck on her shoulder.

"I-I've missed you," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

Kagome felt a lump in her throat. Turning her head slightly, she kissed his temple, nuzzling his white bangs for a moment. He was burning up.

"I've missed you, too."

She didn't know if he'd heard her, but she felt his ear twitch once against her hair.

With the comforting weight of his head on her shoulder and the warmth of his body in front of hers, Kagome managed to relax a little. She'd been on edge since leaving the castle. Looking back on it, the girl couldn't help but marvel at her own bravery (not to say foolishness).

 _I guess love really gives us courage_ , she mused, tightening her arms around Inuyasha's waist just a fraction.

Kirara didn't stop pumping her legs, flying even faster than she had that morning. It was still early afternoon.

 _Did we really wake up in Totosai's cave just today?_ She wondered. _It seems it was so long ago..._

Closing her eyes, Kagome tried to rest her tired mind. The sound of Inuyasha's breathing alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

 _He's really here._

 _Thank God._

* * *

The next days were spent in a tense mood. As the trio traveled back home across the Western Lands, Kagome was always waiting for something to attack them in the wilderness. Danger seemed to lurk everywhere, and sometimes she imagined Setsumi's golden eyes watching them.

Inuyasha was unusually disoriented and silent, which she guessed was only natural after so many months under the influence of the jewel shard.

 _An old demon tree named Bokuseno, who can listen to other trees around the land, heard the boy was impaled by a boar demon in a clearing—along with a stranger on his back_ , she remembered Master Totosai saying. _How else could it have gotten inside him?_

Kagome thought she should have taken Inuyasha to see Totosai, but his cave was too close to the floating castle's location, and they had wanted to be as far from it as possible in as little time as possible.

Upon telling Inuyasha of what Totosai had said about how he'd gotten the shard, she noticed he didn't look very surprised.

"Did you… already know?" She asked with caution.

"I-It's not so much that I knew, but—" He sighed. "I couldn't forget that half-demon's face. My chest started hurting after that thing in the clearing happened, too, so…"

Kagome only nodded, looking at his chest. She knew Inuyasha didn't like it when people fussed over him too much, but she couldn't help herself. He'd never been so badly injured in his life.

 _At least his wound is healing fast_ , she silently thanked God. Without her yellow satchel, which had stayed behind at the Robber Girl's hut, Kagome had nothing to help speed up the process. Old Kaede had taught her of a few herbs that could be used, but those were hard to find even in the forest back home. The only thing she could do for Inuyasha was cleaning his wound every time they passed by a river or creek, using her red scarf.

She wondered what it must have been like, having something so evil inside you for so long. Eventually, Inuyasha told her himself.

"It's like I was seeing and hearing things from underwater," he said one quiet evening as they sat near the fire. "I was there, obviously, but now… now that I think back on it, it all feels so strange." He sighed. "I feel so stupid for staying there, for going with her in the first place!"

Kagome put her hand on his shoulder and pushed it just enough for him to look at her. In the firelight, the bags under his eyes seemed even darker. She could see his guilt as clearly as she could see his face.

"I can't say I know what you've been through, Inuyasha," she started, offering him a tired smile. "But if it was anything like what _I_ 've been through without you…" She paused, swallowing. "We should just leave it behind us. It wasn't your fault."

He slowly put his hand over hers on his shoulder.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha frowned, shaking his head a little. "How can you be so strong?"

She felt that lump in her throat again, but bravely controlled her frustrated tears. Her whole journey seemed to flash before her eyes.

"You mean 'kind', right?" She bit back, unable to keep the resentment completely out of her voice. "How can I be so kind?"

Inuyasha flinched, and she immediately regretted her outburst.

"I-I'm sorry," Kagome said. "I know you didn't mean to disappear—"

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," Inuyasha interjected. He gulped, looking at the ground between them. "I remember wanting to see you again so badly, but…"

Kagome leaned in closer, begging him to finish speaking with her eyes. "But?" She probed.

"But I thought I'd become a monster, and you were better off without me." He shrugged. "Can't say I was wrong." He laughed humorlessly. "Still, I should have left that place anyways."

With an angry huff, Kagome grabbed his forelocks, bringing his face even closer.

"Now listen, Inuyasha, and listen _well!_ " She yanked on his hair. "Even if you had turned into a giant dog yourself, I would _never_ have rejected you. I never cared about what you are, and I wouldn't have started now!"

Kagome released him and sat back. The tears she had tried so hard to keep at bay were finally making an appearance.

 _Why can't I stop crying? And he says I'm strong…_

"H-Hey, don't start with the tears now!" He pleaded gruffly, hugging her to his chest in what she recognized as a desperate move. It made her smile. "Listen, Kagome, I won't leave you again," he murmured against her hair. "It's a promise."

"Good." She sniffed. "Because I would rather have you in my life in any way I can than not have you at all."

 _Now you're not talking about the monster nonsense anymore_ , she berated herself.

Inuyasha's arms tightened around her. "Thank you... for not giving up on me."

* * *

It seemed everyone started breathing easier once they finally left the Western Lands. They kept their pattern of traveling during the day and stopping at sunset. Now that Inuyasha was healed, he and Kirara took turns carrying Kagome. Since Kirara was so tired from their journey, Inuyasha also offered to carry her, and the nekomata happily turned into her kitten size to snuggle on his shoulder.

They traveled incredibly faster with two demonic beings in the group. _The progress I made when I traveled alone is laughable_ , Kagome thought sadly. _Granted, I was stopped all the time, and Shippo was too little to carry me…_

Thinking of the kit made her chest hurt. As if he could read her thoughts, Inuyasha asked, "How far are we from that Princess Sango's village?"

From her place on his back, Kagome managed to reach between them to tug Kohaku's map out of her obi. "Not far, really… But I want us to take the long route and avoid the forest."

"Why?" Inuyasha turned his head sharply to glare at her, almost dislodging Kirara from his shoulder. "You think I can't take on a couple of human robbers?"

Before she could answer him, Inuyasha abruptly stopped running. There was a horse coming their way—and fast.

"Damn it, I wasn't paying attention," he grumbled. "What if it's a damn bandit? I could have hid you in the bushes..."

"It'll be alright." Kagome squeezed his shoulder in sympathy. Inuyasha had told her that he felt as if his senses were duller without the Shikon shard, and she had assured him that it was only because the shard sharpened his perceptions.

 _You'll feel like yourself in no time._

Looking ahead, Kagome narrowed her eyes. Once she could distinguish the rider's features, she cursed, startling Inuyasha.

"Let me down," she urged. "Speaking of the devil…"

It seemed too much of a coincidence.

Inuyasha let her down, but kept himself in front of her. Kirara didn't turn bigger, but she hissed in the direction the rider was coming from.

"Is it her?" Inuyasha asked, touching the handle of the sword at his waist. Kagome knew he was just dying to use it.

 _Should I let him?_ She mused. _The Robber Girl helped me escape, but she was the one who kidnapped me in the first place._

"My, hello there," the Robber Girl greeted, pulling at the reigns and stopping before them. She was wearing her old, tattered brown kimono; her hair was loose, and she had a strange sparkle in her brown eyes. Kagome thought Kikyo looked every bit the bandit she was.

"Hello, Kikyo," she greeted back. Crossing her arms, Kagome tilted her head and smiled tightly. "Are you going to rob me?"

"Not today. I'm in a hurry." Kikyo smirked. "But don't cross paths with me again. I thought I warned you about that."

"You did."

Kikyo turned her eyes to Inuyasha, who still had his hand on the sword handle. She lifted an eyebrow, adjusting the strap of her quiver.

 _Are they silently challenging one another?_ Kagome mused. _This won't turn out well…_

"You are a fine fellow to go wandering about like that," Kikyo told him, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Inuyasha scowled, but his blush was painfully obvious. "I wasn't wandering about!"

Kagome put her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggle. _What a weird meeting!_

Kikyo tilted her head a little. "I should like to know whether you deserve people running to the end of the world for your sake."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort, but Kagome stepped forward, putting her hand on his chest. Blurting the first thing that came to mind, she asked, "And how is your mother doing?"

 _Really?_ She mentally scolded herself. _This is what you're asking her?_

"Mother has recently passed away," Kikyo said, shrugging.

Looking into the Robber Girl's eyes, Kagome couldn't tell if she'd killed her mother or not. Would she have been capable of? If so, could she be blamed for doing it?

 _More importantly, is it any of my business?_

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, feeling instantly ridiculous.

"Well, at least one of us is," Kikyo remarked offhandedly. Inuyasha snorted at that, having already been told all the story. The Robber Girl looked from one to the other, a small smile curving her lips. "One story gone right, at last… I'll leave this land happier now."

"Where will you go?" Kagome asked, fiddling with her hands. "Not that I plan on visiting, don't get me wrong, but—"

"Does it matter?" Kikyo laughed, and Kagome found herself smiling in response. "I'm free to do as I please. I'm an ordinary woman now."

 _Does this mean she won't steal anymore?_

Kikyo winked at Inuyasha, much to his indignation, and left at full gallop. Kagome spun around to watch her go, her long black hair flying behind her like silk. The Robber Girl was riding into the wide world, and Kagome knew in her heart that she would never see her again…

Nor the yellow satchel she spotted on Kikyo's saddle.

 _Damn._

"She's nothing like you," Inuyasha decided, turning his back for her to climb on. "Let's go home."

Kagome laughed, putting her arms around his shoulders.

"We do have one more stop before going home, Inuyasha," she reminded him. "And I actually think you'll like the people there."

"Keh."

He tightened his grip on her legs before taking off.

* * *

 **A/N:** Boy, I missed writing this story so much!

I'm sure Sesshomaru will find a way to win his freedom back, but since this isn't his story, it really doesn't concern us lol. His and his mother's dispute can go on, and probably has been going on, for _centuries_. One chapter couldn't settle it.

I've been waiting for forever to write this scene with Kikyo. Hopefully you liked it!

The next chapter will really be the last, guys. I can't believe it.

Make an author happy and review, please! It's almost over! Thank you once again for reading it. :')


	12. Home For Summer

**ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ**

 **Home For Summer**

 _They had forgotten the cold empty grandeur of the Snow-Queen's castle like a bad dream._

* * *

"KAGOME!"

An orange blur fell from the sky right on Kagome, who blinked at the feeling of fur tickling her nose. Kirara jumped from Inuyasha's shoulder to the ground, hissing from fright.

It seemed Shippo had launched himself from the tree to greet Kagome as they ran toward Sango's village. The girl smiled, resting her cheek on his head.

"What the heck!" Inuyasha exclaimed, stopping to ease her down from his back. Once she was standing, Kagome immediately put her arms around the kit, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you, too, Shippo," she murmured into his hair, pretending not to feel he was crying a little. Knowing the fox was proud, she didn't want to embarrass him in front of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha fidgeted as the kid tried to control himself, apparently not sure what to do. As if sensing his distress, Kirara meowed and went to rub herself on his feet.

Kagome winked at him and smiled, trying to lighten the mood. _He must be a little nervous_ , she guessed. _Meeting new people doesn't usually go very well for him._

"I can't believe you're finally back!" Shippo leaned away to beam at her, his tail swinging.

"I told you I would!" Kagome laughed at his contented face. "Now, Shippo, there's someone I want you to meet…"

To Kagome's amusement, she saw Inuyasha straighten his shoulders as she turned around with Shippo in her arms. She couldn't decide whether he was adorable or silly.

"This is Inuyasha, the friend I've been looking for. Inuyasha, this is Shippo, the fox demon I told you about."

Shippo jumped from Kagome's neck and unceremoniously climbed his way up Inuyasha's legs. The half-demon did a strange little dance, scowling.

"H-Hey!" Inuyasha sputtered indignantly.

Kagome feared he would start yelling at Shippo, but he never got the chance. Grabbing Inuyasha's collar and using his small feet to support him on the half-demon's chest, Shippo put himself almost nose to nose with Inuyasha. That shut him up instantly; Inuyasha seemed to be at least surprised, if not impressed.

"Hi," Shippo said, blinking into his eyes. "Nice to meet you. Did you know Kagome walked half the world to find you?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha grumbled. "And nice to meet you, too—I guess."

Somewhere above them, a bird chirped. Shippo's tail swished.

"D'you love her?"

"Huh?"

"Okay!" Kagome approached them in two quick steps and grabbed the kit by his middle, yanking him away from Inuyasha. "We should hurry to the castle and meet the others!" She squeaked.

Shippo smiled mischievously up at her, but a single pointed glare from the girl wiped the expression from his face. Inuyasha, for his part, seemed to have become mute. His face was flushed and his eyes were wide.

"Why, you little—"

"Shippo doesn't know what he's saying, Inuyasha!" Kagome forced a smile, waving it off. Her voice seemed to be coming out an octave higher; Inuyasha winced.

Shippo clung to Kagome's neck, pretending to be oblivious. "Everyone will be so glad to see you! I was getting tired of waiting, you know." He huffed. "What took you so long?"

 _Well, what a marvelous change of topic_ , she thought wryly.

Knowing the others would ask her the same question soon enough, Kagome changed the subject abruptly. Smirking at the child, she asked in a singsong voice, "Tired of waiting, were you? Did you wait for me on this tree every day, Shippo?"

The boy blushed, frowning. "Not every day!" He turned his face away. "Just every three days."

Inuyasha threw his head back and laughed at that, scaring poor Kirara off.

"What are you laughing at?" Shippo glared at him, his face becoming redder. "You think I'm an idiot for waiting, don't you? Well, I don't ca—"

"Tch. Maybe." Inuyasha snorted. "But also very stubborn—and that's a compliment, kid." To Kagome's surprise, Inuyasha smiled, and it was a genuine one. "Stubborn people are more likely to get what they want."

Shippo puffed his chest out, visibly pleased with himself. It struck Kagome again just how much alike they were.

"Well, are we going to meet this Princess Gonsa or not?" Inuyasha leaned down and grabbed Kirara by the scruff of her neck, putting her gently on his shoulder again.

"It's Princess Sango," Shippo corrected dryly.

"He knows it, Shippo," Kagome whispered to the fox. "Inuyasha's just taunting me."

Kagome caught him looking at her from the corner of his eye, smirking. She rolled her eyes as they started walking again, this time side by side.

* * *

"Welcome back, Kagome!" Miroku's smiling face greeted them from the front porch as the small party made its way through the garden. "We've been worried about you."

Kagome stopped for a moment before climbing the short set of stairs to greet him, noticing he wasn't wearing his monk attire. He wore a deep blue kimono made of silk instead, its hem embroidered with a pattern of silver circles. It wasn't something a nomad buddhist monk would be able to afford, so she guessed it was a gift from Sango… And the implications of that made her blush to the roots of her hair.

"H-Hello, Master Miroku!" She greeted as she went to him. Inuyasha trailed a few feet behind. "How have you been?"

Miroku's eyes sparkled at her question. "I cannot complain, Kagome." He looked at Inuyasha and smiled. "This must be the friend we all heard so much about."

Before she could answer, Kagome was interrupted by someone in golden robes throwing themselves at her, hugging her tightly—and squeezing little Shippo in the process, who was still perched on her shoulder.

"You're back!" Sango leaned away to look at Kagome, smiling brightly. "I can't believe you're _finally_ back!"

Kagome smiled at her friend, taking in her earnest eyes. The princess looked years younger than she had before. She was dressed as richly as Miroku, in a golden robe embroidered with red flowers. Kagome fidgeted, feeling a little inadequate—though not nearly as inadequate as she'd felt when she first met Sango.

"I'm glad to see you too, Princess." Kagome smiled, holding Sango's hands. Kirara chose that moment to jump from Inuyasha's shoulder to Sango's, meowing loudly and rubbing Sango's cheek.

"Hello to you too, Kirara!" Sango giggled, carressing the cat. "I missed you dearly—but maybe not as much as Kohaku." Kirara purred contentedly, making herself into a tight little ball on Sango's shoulder.

"And this must be Kagome's Inuyasha?" The Princess asked, fixing her eyes on the half-demon with a soft smile.

Kagome felt herself blushing at how casually Sango had referred to him as _her_ Inuyasha. "Yes, Princess, this is Inuyasha," she interjected, standing beside him and touching his arm. _God, my voice is all high again!_

Sango stepped forward and bowed her head. "It is very nice to finally meet you, Inuyasha. Kagome spoke a lot about you."

"Um." Inuyasha cleared his throat, nodding back at Sango. "Nice to meet you, too."

Kagome smiled at his profile, thinking he was doing well for someone who never met new people. _In fact_ , she realized, _I never saw him introducing himself to anyone before._

The Princess stepped back, turning to the monk. "This is my husband, Lord Miroku," Sango said, gesturing at him. Miroku had the gall to wink at Kagome, who gasped delightedly. Sango sent a sheepish look at the girl, blushing profusely.

"So, you married the monk," Kagome said, smirking. "I'm so happy for you both!"

Sango smiled a little, tugging at one of her forelocks. Such an uncharacteristic gesture made her look even younger. "I'll tell you how this happened later!"

 _Look at the fierce princess now, all red in the face!_ Kagome thought, stifling a giggle.

"No need to prolong such a simple tale, my dear Sango," Miroku interjected, touching her shoulder tenderly. Then, he turned to Kagome and Inuyasha, his smile mischievous. "She fell madly in love with me. I said yes. That is all."

"Excuse me!" Sango sputtered indignantly, turning to glare at her husband. "You make it sound like I corrupted you!" She huffed. "You weren't acting like a monk, you know—at all!"

"You really weren't!" Shippo nodded from his place on Kagome's shoulder, running to Sango's defense. "If anyone was pinning for anyone, it was _you_ pinning for _her!_ "

Sango smiled at Shippo with such fondness that Kagome could see how much closer she'd gotten to the little fox. It made her happy, but her chest hurt a little. She couldn't quite understand the feeling.

"Let us take this conversation inside, my friends," Miroku suggested. "Our guests look like they're about to fall down."

"Keh. No one's falling down," Inuyasha protested, scowling a little. Then, he quickly glanced at Kagome. "But getting inside would be fine, I think."

They had barely made three steps into the castle when Shiori appeared, going directly to Kagome and greeting her rather warmly for such a shy child. Kagome noticed this change in behavior with satisfaction; she'd never seen Shiori acting carefree and happy.

"It seems staying here was really the best option for her," Kagome whispered to Sango.

"Oh, yes, she's doing very well here," the princess whispered back. "And she'll never want to leave now!"

Kagome smiled at that.

At the great hall, they all sat on the floor to eat and catch up. Sango and Miroku sat moderately close to each other on the same mat, and Kirara was curled up on Sango's lap. The picture they formed together made Kagome smile silly.

"So, let's begin," Sango said suddenly, looking from Kagome to Inuyasha and back. Kagome felt a little uneasy. "Tell us everything, Kagome! How was your journey? Did you face the dog demon alone? Are you really unharmed?"

Miroku touched Sango's hand to get her attention. "Easy, love," he admonished. "She has to be able to keep up with your questions in order to answer them."

Sango muttered an apology to Kagome, but the girl really didn't mind it. She felt a warmth in her chest just knowing that Sango really cared about her. _She didn't help me simply out of pity._

Before Kagome could start speaking, the sliding doors were violently pulled aside. Kohaku, his face flushed, entered the room in five quick steps, coming to a stop in front of Kagome and Inuyasha. Myoga and Shoga jumped from his shoulders to stand on Kagome's bent knees, bowing to her with little tears in their eyes.

"We're so glad you're back, my dear!" Shoga said, pulling out a tiny handkerchief and blowing her nose.

"Very glad, indeed!" Myoga agreed.

"Kagome!" Kohaku greeted, breathing a little hard. "I'm glad I made it back in time to see you!" He smiled; then, realizing how he'd sounded, he backpedaled. "I-I mean, I'm glad you made it back safely!"

Kagome stifled her laugh. "Thank you for worrying about me, Prince." She smiled. "The map you gave me was a lot of help. I wouldn't have made it without you."

Kohaku blushed so much that Kagome wondered if she should have praised the boy in front of everyone. Thinking fast, she turned to Inuyasha. "This is Inuyasha," she gestured to the half-demon. "My best friend."

Inuyasha puffed his chest out at that, nodding at Kohaku, but his nose, Kagome noticed, was dusted pink.

"Oh, Kagome, you're gonna kill them both if you keep this up!" Sango teased, leaving the younger boy looking horrified and the older one looking angry.

It was Kagome's time to blush. "I wasn't—"

"My wife's just teasing you, Kagome." Miroku laughed. "Why don't you tell us your tale now that everyone's here?"

Just like that, Kagome stopped feeling like an embarrassed girl. She felt old all of a sudden. Looking around the room, she caught Shiori gazing at Inuyasha, her head tilted to one side. It occurred to Kagome then that, just like Inuyasha, Shiori might never have seen another half-demon before.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome started telling her friends about her adventure. She thought about skipping the part where she'd been abducted by the Robber Girl, but couldn't. It would feel good to say everything out loud, and she needed it.

They didn't interrupt her too much; just a few questions now and then. Kohaku was livid to know the Robber Girl had kidnapped her, proclaiming he would do anything in his power to get her. Kagome almost told him that he never would, that Kikyo was surely miles away… but something made her hold her tongue. It was strange, but she didn't want to rob Kikyo of her chance at happiness— _no pun intended_.

She didn't want Prince Kohaku to hunt Kikyo down. _I also want another story gone right_ , she realized, looking at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. _Besides my own._

When she got to the part where Kirara flew to the floating castle, Kagome started thinking of ways to not make it sound like they were at the Snow Queen's mercy. Inuyasha would be ashamed if her friends thought he wasn't able to protect her. He might even leave the room, in fact, and that would be a shame—especially for little Shiori.

Toning it down the best she could, Kagome explained Inuyasha indeed had a jewel shard in his chest, just like Princess Sango and Master Totosai had suggested. She said his stepmother took advantage of the cold nature of the Shikon no Tama to manipulate him into staying, but that in the end, they couldn't find out what her true purposes were.

"We don't know if she really intended to make Inuyasha her heir," Kagome explained, "or if she was just using him to lure her son back home."

"You think he would have gone back to her and taken a throne he didn't want just to stop Inuyasha from doing it?" Kohaku asked, frowning. He clearly didn't know what rejection from a sibling looked like.

"Hatred has no limits," Inuyasha spoke for the first time, catching everyone's attention. Then, surprisingly, he turned to Shiori. "Neither does ignorance." His eyes went a little sad, but he shook it off quickly. "Anyway, he didn't go back for me. There was a kid he wanted to save, and it looked like his mother could do that." Inuyasha snorted. "He wouldn't have gone back just because of me."

 _Oh, Inuyasha…_

Kagome discreetly held his hand and squeezed it. She finished her tale quickly after that, not wanting to linger.

They all thought she was very brave—and Inuyasha too, for living months with a jewel shard inside him.

"Funny thing is, my father was the one who broke it," Inuyasha said, his hand closing around the hilt of his sword. Kagome frowned. Hearing her silent question, he resumed, "They made a tapestry about that; it was hanging on a wall at the castle. I asked Setsumi about it. Some lowlives were fighting for the jewel, the fight got too close to the castle, and my father thought it would be a good idea to blast everyone to pieces—along with the damn jewel." He paused. "Tch. There you have it. It's his fault."

"But the legend says the gods did it." Shippo was looking at Inuyasha with wide eyes, and Kagome knew the kit was thinking about his own father, who'd succumbed to the evil of a shard. "Dog demons aren't gods!"

"They were once," Inuyasha mumbled, looking at the floor with a frown. "They thought so, at least." He shrugged.

Kagome didn't know why, but she wasn't happy at how the conversation had turned against Inuyasha's father. Maybe it was her intuition speaking, but she didn't think it was fair. "Your father was protecting his family," she interjected. "He was doing his duty, Inuyasha—even to that foul woman. You would have done the same if our family were in danger."

She'd meant their family as in the one they had now, with Mama, Old Kaede and Sota, but it came out weird. Kagome blushed, realizing he might misinterpret her. She could feel Sango's knowing eyes on her.

Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah," he admitted, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "I would."

She was so surprised at his reaction, she felt like running away and throwing herself at him all at once. Inuyasha had never looked so much like a man to her; it hit her like a brick to the face.

"Well!" Sango cleared her throat, smiling from ear to ear. "The sun has already set, so I take it you'll sleep here. Do you need me to summon doctor Hojo to check you up?"

"No, we're fine," Kagome answered. "We just need a good night's sleep—with a roof over our heads, you know."

"I'll show you to your rooms, then," Shoga said, patting her little dress.

When they were leaving the hall, Sango pulled Kagome aside to talk. The girl gestured for Inuyasha to go ahead without her, giving him a reassuring smile.

"You were right," the Princess said once they were alone. "Miroku wasn't a liability or a distraction." She smiled. "I'm still the ruler of this estate, and people will still answer to me."

"Absolutely!" Kagome took her hands. "You proved yourself already, Princess. People know you don't need a king to rule—you just happen to want one."

Sango told Kagome the situation with Miroku had gotten to a point where it was impossible to keep things as they were. He was running out of excuses to stay, and she was running out of excuses to stop him from going. One day, he told her he was leaving.

"That was the breaking point. I snapped at him," Sango confessed sheepishly. "He confronted me—I'd never seen him acting so intense! He asked me to marry him, otherwise he would leave." She sighed. "I kissed him, and… well, we were married the next day!"

They both started giggling, but Sango got suddenly serious. "About your situation, my friend… I understand why you didn't want to think about your feelings for Inuyasha before. They would have made it harder to focus, to keep your mind clear… But not now; now you're both safe! You're going home together!" She shook her head in exasperation. "You can't run away from it anymore! He only has to _look_ at you. I don't know how he hasn't seen it yet!"

"Maybe he has." Kagome sighed, shuffling her feet. "It's just—he's the most important person in the world to me. If he sees me as a sister, I would rather never know. I would be too humiliated if I opened my heart to him and he rejected me!"

"Oh, Kagome." Sango shook her head, smiling sadly. "I can understand his lack of confidence, but yours?" The princess paused, considering her friend for a few seconds. "Hm… You don't see it either, but I'm sure you will."

Before Kagome could retort, Sango kissed her cheek and said goodnight. She was left alone in the hallway, thinking herself rather childish in face of her friend's newfound wisdom.

 _It doesn't seem like we're the same age anymore_ , Kagome pondered on her way to the room she'd occupied before, feeling a tingle down her spine for no apparent reason.

* * *

Inuyasha was very silent as they said their goodbyes the next morning. Kagome thought he was even avoiding eye contact, but she dismissed it at that moment to properly talk to everyone.

"You'll visit us, won't you?" Shippo wined. Sango had told her he'd been considering asking to leave with her and Inuyasha, but he'd given up when Shiori had cried over it. Secretly, Kagome thought it was for the best, even though his preference hurt. People in Sango's village seemed to be more open minded toward demons.

"Of course I will, Shippo!" She kissed his forehead and put him down. "I have to bring my mom to meet you, remember?" Then, she looked at the faces of her friends, feeling overcome with gratitude. "Thank you all for believing and helping me. If I'm going home now, it's because of you." She joined her hands and bowed to them.

"Oh, Kagome!" Sango came forward and hugged her. "Say you'll think about what I told you," she whispered so only Kagome would hear. "And be happy!"

Kagome nodded, stepping away. "You too," she mouthed, winking.

"Thank you for welcoming us," Inuyasha said, startling her. "And for helping Kagome before."

"It was a pleasure, my friend," Miroku said. "Have a safe journey home."

Inuyasha nodded. Then, he turned to Shiori. "You take care, kid." He said, ruffling her hair. Shiori beamed at him, delighted.

 _Inuyasha_ , Kagome thought fondly, _you're full of surprises._

She turned to full-sized Kirara, then, who stood quietly beside Kohaku. Kagome leaned down and kissed the cat right between the eyes.

"You know, Kirara, I don't think I'll be able to repay you in this life," she said as the nekomata nuzzled her hand. "But thank you." Kagome smiled. "I couldn't have asked for a better escort."

Nodding to the small party, she turned and climbed on Inuyasha's back. He took off like the wind, and this time, Kagome looked only ahead.

* * *

After three days of getting an almost silent treatment from Inuyasha, it dawned on Kagome he had undoubtedly heard her conversation with Sango.

She wanted to jump from a cliff and die.

It was a painful conclusion, drawn from many awkward silences and blushing faces. She didn't know exactly how he had heard them, but it made sense. Inuyasha had excellent hearing, after all, and they'd been at the _damn_ hallway that night. _Stupid!_

Inuyasha was predictably avoiding the matter, so she knew it was up to her to suck it up and say something. But what if that wasn't why he was acting strange? What if she were wrong?

 _You're not_ , she told herself for the thousandth time. _You shivered because you felt him watching you. It's time to face the music!_

Kagome was angry at him for listening in on her, but she was mostly sad he didn't return her feelings. Why else would he be so distant, especially after everything they'd been through? _It's a stupid reason to act like this_ , she thought, feeling like her heart suddenly weighed a ton, pulling her to the ground. _We're still friends! We've been apart for ages!_

They were two days away from home when she took a deep breath, sat beside him in front of the fire, and asked him to look at her.

He faced her slowly, a slight frown marring his face.

"I know you know," Kagome murmured, looking straight into his eyes.

A few heartbeats passed. Inuyasha opened and closed his mouth, his shoulders slumping. Then, he tensed, and Kagome wanted to bawl at the thought he would run from her. _I better finish this quick!_

"I won't yell at you for eavesdropping," she said, "but I _do_ want to yell at you for treating me like this. We're friends!" She shouted the last part, unable to control herself. "I don't deserve it, and you'll stop it right this instant!" Kagome glared into his shocked face, nodded and turned away, thinking she should at least try to sleep.

Just as she moved, his strong arms grabbed her by the middle, pulling her closer—much closer, in fact. Her back touched the extension of his chest, and she could feel his breath on the nape of her neck.

Inuyasha sighed like a suffering man. "As always, you used your pretty little head and came to the wrong conclusion," he murmured into her hair. "And you dismissed me after saying your piece, too!" He chortled.

After the briefest of hesitations, he kissed her right behind her ear.

Kagome was sure she was fainting.

"Wha—" She turned in his arms to face him, their noses almost touching. She had to cross her eyes to look at him, and her spine hurt a little, but his vice grip wouldn't let her turn. "Wha—what are you doing?" She stammered.

"I was _trying_ to give you a shot at something better," he said a little angrily, but she could tell he was blushing. "It ate at me all day yesterday, until I realized I'm too selfish for that." He sighed, touching her cheek with shaking fingers. "Then, today, I thought I should at least talk to your mother before making a move." He had the nerve to glare at her, but his eyes were shining too much. "Of course, you just had to ruin it."

To Kagome's frustration, Inuyasha didn't come any closer. Why wasn't he kissing her already?

"S-So you had to ignore me just because you wanted to talk to my mother first?" She managed to get out, sounding exasperated. _Why am I arguing with him now? Now of all times?_

"I-I was going to ask her for a little help," he confessed, shocking Kagome. Inuyasha _never_ asked for help. "I was going to ask her how to propose." He sounded as nervous as a boy, but looked like a man. It was hard for Kagome to keep up with her own changes, let alone his. "No one taught me nothing about this, so—"

"Say you'll build me a house," she blurted. Inuyasha blinked at her, and Kagome could feel herself blushing. To her credit, though, the girl didn't avoid his eyes. "I don't care how you ask me, Inuyasha—you already know the answer!" She sounded impatient, but she didn't mind it. "Say you'll build me a house." She tried to smile, but her lips were trembling.

She could feel his warm breath on her face, and it was making her a little lightheaded. _Do I really need a house?_ She wondered. _We could live in the woods for all I care, but…_

"I'll build you a house," Inuyasha muttered, making her heart skip a beat. His voice seemed to be coming from miles away. "If you become my wife as soon as it's ready."

Kagome nodded and put her arms around his shoulders, unable to speak.

They leaned into each other then, sharing their first kiss. Both were a little awkward, a little shy, but very eager to learn. Kagome didn't think it was particularly pleasant at first, just wet and warm—but she couldn't care less.

It was _Inuyasha_.

He made her hum and shake soon enough, though, and they kissed until the moon was high and their lips were sore.

* * *

Kagome felt both anxious and at peace as they approached the Goshinboku—and the two small huts that stood near the tree.

She briefly squeezed Inuyasha's hand before releasing it. Kagome had gotten down from his back at the limits of the village, thinking it would be right to walk home beside him.

A few people in the fields stopped working to gape at the pair, drying sweat from their brows and whispering to their companions. Kagome smirked, but didn't turn to look at them. _I bet we were already dead and buried to these people._ Kagome felt very proud of herself; smug even, though she knew that might be a little petty.

Then, looking around her, she suddenly felt odd.

She'd grown up in that village. It had been all she knew until last winter, but something about it was off now. Nothing _looked_ different, but nothing _felt_ the same.

"Were those rocks always there?" Inuyasha asked conversationally.

 _Well, that's not quite what I mean._ Kagome felt like laughing at his poor attempt to cover his nervousness.

"Yes," she answered anyway, standing on her tiptoes to peck his cheek. "And please calm down? They won't blame you for what happened."

Inuyasha's ears flattened and straightened again. "Keh."

 _At least I consoled him better than he did me_ , she thought, thinking of the previous day. As they'd ran past Kaou's castle, she'd been uneasy. It was ominously quiet there, and they also swam across the river without any interruptions. The two demons she'd met at that place didn't seem to exist at all, which left her feeling like a very imaginative child. Kagome didn't like it.

"They were here, Inuyasha!" She had told him, already on the defensive. "I swear it, okay?"

"Hey, I don't doubt you," he had assured her. "People don't have to stay forever at the same place, Kagome!" He had kissed her quickly to stay in her good graces.

Thinking about his new technique to appease her brought a silly smile to her face.

Kagome's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone calling her name—loud enough to wake the dead.

Kagome's head snapped up immediately.

It was her mother's voice.

She wished she could say time stood still as she looked at Lady Higurashi, her laundry on the ground and her hands over her mouth. She wished she could say everything happened slowly, that they took each other in eagerly before running toward one another and hugging.

That wasn't how it happened, though.

Reality was a blur.

She was already in her mother's arms in an eyebat, and Lady Higurashi was kissing her face, shouting for Sota and Old Kaede. Then, the woman was pulling Inuyasha closer, fisting his hair and crying on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Izayoi, thank you," Lady Higurashi prayed incoherently, over and over. "They're safe, they're safe and alive!"

Old Kaede didn't utter a word as she limped her way to them, but her entire hunched frame was shaking. She cupped Inuyasha's face and looked deeply into his eyes, her brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry!" He blurted, sounding choked; desperate, even. A boy again. "I never wanted to—"

"Hush, son," Old Kaede said, hugging him tightly. Her grey head only reached the middle of his chest, but Kagome could tell her presence humbled him. "It's not important."

Sota was the last one to arrive, and it took him a while to react to the fact his sister and foster brother were standing right there. Once he did, though, the boy wouldn't stop crying—not even as he tried to see Inuyasha's new sword through his tears.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Kagome was truly, genuinely happy. There was nothing else she wanted out of life. She didn't care about the small crowd forming around them, or the chief's dumbfounded face as he made his way through.

She met Inuyasha's eyes and smiled. He didn't smile back, but his expression was soft—so very, very soft.

He loved her, alright. It was glaringly obvious.

Looking up at the sun, Kagome shielded her eyes with her hand. Spring was over, replacing the smell of flowers with the smell of humid earth, to which she was most grateful. Finally, it was summer; warm, pleasant summer.

 _Today, it's hard to believe that snow even exists_ , she thought with a contented sigh.

* * *

 **A/N:** I can't believe it's over, guys. I want to thank you all for reviewing, following, favoriting, or just reading, really! Your support was the only reason I managed to get through with this fic.

I know their journey back was fast, but hey, Inuyasha is _way_ faster than Kagome! The author was not impatient. Not at all lol.

Anyways, I feel I said all I should, really… I can only hope you agree!

This was Kagome's tale as much as _The Snow Queen_ is Gerda's. To keep the fairytale mood, here goes a moral: girls can do anything they want, even if they feel small and few people believe them.

Thank you again for reading. Please, please, tell me your thoughts! :')

FYI: If you miss me, go read _Spirited Away_! That's the fic I'll be updating from now on.


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